Balancing Act
by kmzoe
Summary: While battling the Separatists on the Outer Rim planet of Felucia, the 501st, Anakin, and Obi-wan discover a strange being.
1. Chapter 1

Count Dooku had brought countless more battalions to the planet of Felucia than the Republic's

intel had predicted, much to Anakin Skywalker's dismay. Currently, they were more than 100km

away from the nearest outpost, outnumbered by the Separatist forces, pinning the Clones to their

cover.

"Master Obi-wan, we need to do something before the droids pick us off. Any suggestions?"

Obi-wan glanced to Rex, firing off beside him, then back to Anakin's position just ahead of them.

"Not at the moment. Reinforcements are another two days away. Unless you can figure something

out, we may have to retreat. Either way, we are going to suffer heavy casualties."

"We've been here for three months. Heavy casualties isn't anything new right now," Anakin

mused.

"Sir, I can't see the end of them," Echo reported. "These clankers just keep coming."

Skywalker wished he could just have a showdown with Grievous and Dooku right now, just to

get this over with. As his impatience overwhelmed what plans he was trying to conjure, Anakin

felt something strange in the Force, and it was moving closer.

"Anakin, did you feel that?" Obi-wan answered the 'Am I just going crazy' question.

"Yeah, what was that? I've never experienced anything like it."

A clone nearby screamed out his death, shot by the nearing droids, tearing Anakin out of his

thoughts. "They're closing in quick! Got a plan yet?"

"I'm working on it," Obi-wan snapped as two more clones fell next to him.

"General Kenobi, what do you suppose that is?" Fives called pointing out a nearby tree.

He searched for what the ARC trooper could mean when Obi-wan spotted it, a hooded figure in

the tree. Well, there are indigenous beings with sentience, including the Jungle Felucians. But this

one didn't quite look Felucian. Hopefully it was only a bystander with enough sense to run away

from the blasters. Kenobi's attention was pulled back to the battle at hand as ten Commando droids

made their way towards the center of the battle field.

"Anakin, you see them, right?"

One managed to make it past a few clones, leaping for Skywalker. "Yes, Obi-wan," Anakin said

as he dodged their first attack, pulling out his lightsaber, "I see them very well!"

Obi-wan made his way over to the Jedi Knight, blasts barely missing him, and started his own

attack on the Commandos. Some of the shooting had died down as the two faced off. The Jedi

could hold off the Commandos, even managed to put a few out of commission, but Obi-wan felt

the shift in the Force and glanced back at the tree Fives had pointed out. The figure was no longer

there.

"Master!"

Too late. Obi-wan hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop. A droid had taken advantage of the

distraction and now stood over the Jedi, lightsaber a ways away. Anakin, to his credit, tried to run

over, but the droids had seized the opportunity and taken a position between the two Jedi, creating

a blockade. Obi-wan looked up at the Commando, lowering the blaster even with his temple, and

closed his eyes.

The telltale vwoosh sounded above Kenobi and he glanced up in time to see the Commando's top

half slide off the body.

Behind the severed body of the droid, the figure straightened up, clothed in black and neutral

colors. The face was covered so only startling blue eyes were visible. But the most disconcerting

thing about the being standing before Kenobi was that they were holding two lightsabers. One

green and one...red.


	2. Chapter 2

As the Commando Droids fell, Obi-wan could only watch with utter curiosity, completely

forgetting that his lightsaber was several feet away. The droids didn't stand a chance as the

simultaneous vwoosh of two lightsabers decimated them. The hooded figure moved with speed

and a ridiculous amount of flexibility. Even Anakin couldn't tear his eyes away, though that could

be due to a red lightsaber in his midst and nobody had an idea who this was. Obi-wan didn't see

the halved Commando crawling behind him from where it fell. Not until this mystery person

skewered it on the red 'saber. He peered at the figure, only bright blue eyes staring back as they

stood still. Then, with a slight flick of the wrist, the lightsabers were gone. Their owner

disappeared from sight into the thick jungle.

"Obi-wan!" Anakin ran to his master, lost 'saber in hand. "Are you ok? What the hell just

happened?"

"I...I have no idea," Kenobi gratefully accepted his weapon and moved towards the clones, only

now noticing that there were no blasters firing.

Seeing the Commandos fall, the onslaught of droids had halted, receiving orders, then reversed

direction.

"It seems Dooku and the Sith have the same predicament we do," Obi-wan mused. "We need to

contact the Jedi Counsel immediately."

The communications were set up, Mace Windu being the first to greet the embattled Jedi.

"Counsellor, we've, uh...felt a disturbance here on Fellucia-"

"What he means to say is that there was someone here with two lightsabers of opposing colors,

and they just killed a bunch of droids," Skywalker chimed in.

Obi-wan glared at Anakin over his shoulder, but continued his conversation. "We felt the

disturbance before they even appeared, I don't know who or what they could be. As far as we

know, they're probably not a Sith, but I don't know why a Jedi would carry a red lightsaber."

"You said they were a dual wielder?"

"Yes, Master WIndu. A red and green."

"Very interesting, that is," Yoda appeared before the Jedi. "See any features, did you?"

Obi-wan thought back to the encounter, an hour ago. "Only that they had blue eyes, and probably

weren't Felucian."

Yoda pondered a moment, then shared a knowing look with Windu.

"Do you think...?"

"Perhaps," Yoda returned his attention. "Friend or foe, we are not sure. Before the Separatists,

find out, you must."

"Be very careful," warned Mace, "they may steal lightsabers from fallen Jedi or Sith, much like

Grievous."

As communication with the Counsel ended, Obi-wan faced the 501st. "Did anyone see where that

figure went?"

"Yes, sir," called Fives from among the murmurs. "Went into the jungled, headed East."

"Alright, then. Gather your gear. We're gonna find them and see which side they're on,"

commanded Skywalker. "Unless the stragglers want to deal with that," Anakin pointed off into the

distance where the droids were regrouping.

"Either way," said Rex, "we're gonna be dealing with plenty of Clankers."


	3. Chapter 3

"Why are we going after 'em, again?'" Echo said for the fifth time within the last two hours.

"Because those are our orders," Fives answered, again.

The significantly smaller squadron could move faster than the Separatist army, able to weave

through the Jungle's thick foliage.

"So, just to get this straight," Anakin questioned, "we could be running into a trap, but it's worth

the risk to see if this mystery person is an ally or not? One person?"

"Yes," Obi-wan answered shortly.

"Alright then."

The clones moved further, eyes scanning the trees around them. They had moved into the almost

uninhabitable area of the jungle, too thick for even the Native Felucians to wander.

"This...um, Jedi? They could be stealing lightsabers. Why are we tracking 'em without a backup

plan?" asked Fives.

"Because the Jedi Counsel says we need to find them before the Clankers do," replied Rex,

"though the fact that we're tromping through Felucia doesn't sit too well with me."

"Maybe we should contact Shaak Ti? She'd know about everything we're dealing with here."

Kenobi considered the suggestion from Anakin and reached for his communicator.

A clone's scream rang through the trees, stopping everyone in their tracks. Another sounded, the

same direction as the first, then another, blasters began firing in the distance.

The screech of the unknown creature made Obi-wan shiver. He knew what that sound was.

"Acklay!" he shouted as the creature burst through the brush, knocking aside two clones like toys.

It moved through the jungle with amazing speed, the troops could barely land a shot. Obi-wan and

Anakin got out their lightsabers and ran after the Acklay, hoping it wouldn't disappear in the dense

fungal foliage.

The Acklay roared as it decimated the clones, blasters ineffective against the creature's tough hide.

"Anakin, cut it off! We can't let it go, just to ambush us again!"

Skywalker leaped ahead of it, managing to slice off one of its six legs. Four clones had begun to

surround it, blasting for weaker points like the face and chest. The Acklay wasn't happy, to say the

least, screeching loud and long. It swiped at the Jedi, who backspringed away. Obi-wan was

sprinting over as the crustacean-like beast pounced on a troop, tearing through his armour, and

fled into the brush.

"Damn. After it, we can't let it have another opportunity to catch us by surprise," Anakin

commanded.

The beast cried out from the jungle beyond, but the sound cut off. The distinct sound of a body

hitting the ground reverberated around the 501st.

Crunching of foliage underfoot came from the direction of the noise, putting the Jedi on edge. The

sound was fleeting, quickly moving away into the jungle. Only a set of footsteps were heard, not

enough for an Acklay.


	4. Chapter 4

They found the body of the beast, head run through with a lightsaber. All of them had an idea who it might be, and for the second time that day, felt bewildered about this mystery lightsaber-wielder.

Anakin was in charge of the headcount, which wasn't going so well in the thick fungal forest.

Obi-wan had been occupying himself with communication, trying to reach Shaak Ti, but she had been sent on a mission to Bespin. Currently, he was speaking with Master Yoda and Mace, again.

"I get the feeling you know what we're dealing with, Master," Obi-wan commented. Yoda looked away and sighed.

"Yes. Found her before, on Bespin, I did. Why we have sent Shaak Ti, it is."

"Her name is Sylva," Windu continued. "Master Yoda was sent to bring her to the Jedi temple, almost 20 years ago."

"A powerful Jedi, Sylva is. Dangerous, she can be," Yoda lamented.

Mace spoke in a low tone. "We had to isolate her from other younglings."

"So it is a Jedi we're looking for," Anakin said as he approached.

"How's the headcount?" Kenobi asked, a bit annoyed by the interruption.

"Not good, master. The battle with the Separatists took a toll. The Acklay did plenty of damage itself. I'm not sure we'll be able to hold off the droid forces if we run into them."

"An acklay?" Mace and Yoda glanced at each other. "Sounds like you have had quite the adventure. In any case," continued Windu, "find Sylva and bring her back to the Jedi Temple. Her appearance must mean something is going on."

"Yes, Master," Obi-wan and Anakin said, in unison.

"And Skywalker," Yoda turned to look at him directly, "direct with her, you must be. Urgent, this mission is."

"Of course, Master Yoda."

The 501st had already put in hours of walking and there was no sign of the unknown Jedi anywhere. The clones had started placing bets on how long it would be until the generals would turn around or they ran into the droids.

"Too bad Master Yoda doesn't have a home address. That'd be too easy," snarked Anakin. Not two seconds later, he fell into a rather large hole.

"Anakin! Are you alright?" Obi-wan called.

"Yeah," Skywalker looked up into his new surroundings. The slope to the end of the hole was odd, as if it was a well-travelled path. It also led straight into the trunk of a huge tree. "I think I found something."

"Sir," Rex reported, "we have movement. Off in the Jungle."

"Anakin, I think you better hurry up and get out of there," Obi-wan urged his former padawan. "We may have company."

"There!" called one of the clones, pointing towards the sound of branches snapping.

"Contact!" shouted another, on the opposite side of the short clearing. The faint crunching of leaves and broken limbs was putting everyone on edge.

"Anakin! Get up here, now!"

"I found a door! In the side of this tree," Anakin said, half-hearing Kenobi's pleas. Upon examining the door, he found no handle or latch, barely even a crack to indicate there was a way in. "If I could just find a way to open it."

"Allow me."

Anakin swivelled to find a woman, about his height, standing a few feet away. Glancing up, he found that Obi-wan, Rex, and the rest of the Clones were just staring, watching her walk past and up to the tree, next to Anakin. She flashed a light smile and he stepped back, allowing the woman access to the doorway. She pushed gently on the right side with her elbow, then a hard shove with her left hand opened the door. She took a step and turned, blocking the doorway.

"Sylva Cotaru," she nodded to Anakin and the rest of the squad, slowly beginning to make their way into the hole. A few of the squad still had their blasters readied, not sure if there was a threat at the moment.

"Well, Miss Cotaru," Obi-wan walked up, "we've been searching for you."


	5. Chapter 5

"Please, come inside," Sylva moved to the side and gestured to the room inside the tree. Obi-wan obliged, giving Anakin a warning look as he passed. Only going through the doorway did Obi-wan realize how immense the tree was: he imagined the stairs on the other side of the room ran several flights up. Anakin was quick to follow Obi-wan's lead, moving passed the dark-clad blonde, but realized that Sylva had not closed the door.

She answered his questioning look with one of her own. "Are your... comrades not joining us?"

"Don't worry, sir. We'll stand watch outside," Rex answered.

Sylva nodded and closed the door, engulfing them in darkness.

"Sorry, probably should have lit a candle first. Windows aren't really the best source of light here."

She moved towards the center of the room, Obi-wan and Anakin never making it far past the door. After bumping into a table and some fumbling around, she had a candle lit. Strolling around the hollowed trunk, Sylva began to light the place as she spoke.

"So, who might you be? Jedi, I suppose?"

"Yes," responded Obi-wan. "We were sent here to free Felucia from Separatist occupation."

"I can see how well that went," she commented, bending over a side table with her candle. "But I asked who."

Anakin began speaking this time. "I am Anakin Skywalker. This is Obi-wan Kenobi. When you intervened-"

"Thank you for that, by the way."

"-the Jedi Counsil sent us to find you," Skywalker finished.

"Certainly took you long enough," Sylva rested the candle in its original holder at the center of the room. "So, now that you have found me... what next?" She stared expectantly at the pair.

Anakin and Obi-wan shared a glance.

"We are here to take you back to the Jedi Temple," Obi-wan said, finally.

"Really? Obi-wan, is it? I don't get the feeling you really know what's going on here," Sylva sat in a chair nearby and gestured for the two Jedi to sit.

"What is going on then?" Anakin asked, only now realizing that the large space was filled by couches, chairs, and general seating, rather than the necessary furniture for everyday living. This was an entertainment room, mostly for parties, Anakin guessed. Not really fit for the lifestyle of a Jedi.

Sylva watched them get seated, then began. "You know about Felucia, right? How the whole planet is sensitive to the Force? How some Felucians can even use the power that Jedi possess? Seems like it could be a good training ground for the Jedi, if it wasn't so remote and inhospitable. Well, it was a good place to leave me."

"What do you mean by that? Why couldn't they just train you at the Temple?" Anakin questioned.

"They had to separate me from the other younglings. They said I could accidentally lead them, even full fledged padawans, to the Dark side." Sylva paused for a moment to let the information sink in. "I have an affinity for using the Dark side of the Force. I can use both."

Obi-wan glanced at Anakin as the wheels turned.

"So, that's why you have a green and red lightsaber," Skywalker finally realized. "You have control over both sides of the spectrum."

"I wouldn't call it control," Sylva corrected. "And I don't think you realize the gravity of the situation. I'm still a danger to some in the Temple."

"The Counsil told us to bring you back. It can't be that bad. Besides, we lost men trying to find you!" Anakin burst out.

"And that was the risk you took coming into the jungle," Sylva replied, cutting off whatever he was going to say next. "I'm not going and it's as simple as that."

"Master Yoda won't be happy if we don't escort you to the Temple," Obi-wan spoke lightly, almost as if he were talking to himself.

Sylva visibly perked up at the mention of the small green Jedi, now staring directly at Obi-wan. "That is a name I haven't heard in some time."

"Ah yes, Master Yoda found you, didn't he?" Obi-wan acted as if he was just remembering this.

Anakin sensed Obi-wan was going to use this in a cunning way. Remembering Yoda's warning, he took over the conversation. "You can speak with him, if you like. I'm not sure he'd be too pleased to learn you're staying on Felucia, though. He did send us to find you."

"Master Yoda sent you? " Sylva stood from her chair and slowly stepped towards the pair. "May I?"

"Of course."

"Well, if you're going to be here for a while, we may as well invite some of your friends inside," Sylva moved to the door, Anakin following. She opened it effortlessly and gestured for the Clones to come into the candle lit room.

When the Clones looked to Anakin, he nodded and they moved inside, posting two guards at the door. The immense tree became a bit crowded. Sylva noted the wounded and sullenly envisioned the unmarked graves there must be in the jungle now, if they even got that honor. Sylva invited the Jedi to the second floor, a kitchen area large enough to host a dinner party for the Grand Republic Honor Guard, if there had been more than one table.

"Humble settings for a Jedi," Anakin commented sarcastically, looking around the large room.

"It was a gift," was all Sylva said about it, sitting at the rounded table.

The two Jedi joined her. Mace Windu appeared on the table, casting a blue glow around the room, despite the lit candles.

"Master Kenobi. Master Skywalker. This is Miss Sylva, I presume?" Mace's transmission faced the woman.

"Yes, Master Windu, this is her," Obi-wan gestured to Sylva.

"It is a pleasure, Master Windu," Sylva nodded, introducing herself. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Master Yoda."

"Hello, my young apprentice," Yoda appeared next to Mace. "Good, have you been?"

"Yes, master. It's great to see you. What has it been, ten years, since our last conversation?"

"Close, it is. Grown, you have," Yoda chuckled and smiled at his apprentice. "To what owed, is this pleasure?"

"Master Yoda," Obi-wan began, "Sylva does not think it wise to return to the Temple, for the same reason she left ."

"Mmm. Dangerous, yes," Yoda mused, stroking his chin in thought, "but necessary, it is. Return to the Temple, you must."

"But master, the same problems as before haven't just disappeared. There is a great risk in me returning. I don't think it wise," Sylva explained.

"Do you?" Yoda asked his apprentice directly. "Out of fear, it is not? An unknown culture, we have. Intimidating, it can be for you."

"What do you mean, master?" Anakin interrupted.

Mace stepped in to explain. "Sylva only spent about six months at the Temple. The rest of her training has been in isolation on a hostile planet with little technology compared to Coruscant. It's not surprising that she'd be intimidated by this venture. With next to no working knowledge of technology or social standards, being back on Coruscant might as well be you, in a galaxy far, far away."

Sylva seemed apprehensive at first, but agreed to leave Felucia after Mace explained some of her situation with Anakin and Obi-wan.

"So, now that that's settled, how are we going to get back to the Temple without being shot down by the Separatists," Obi-wan asked. "It's not like they'll just let us leave. I'm surprised we've managed to go this long without spotting a droid."

As if on cue, Rex ran up the stairs. "Sir, the guards have spotted some clankers. Looks to be a small scouting operation."

"Just jinxed it," Anakin snarked. "If they're scouts, the rest of the army isn't far behind."

"Get everyone inside and make sure the door is sealed," Sylva ordered. After a second, and odd looks from the other Jedi, Sylva realized. "Oh, sorry. You're orders, gentlemen?"

"Do as she said," Anakin told Rex, who proceeded to go back downstairs, shushing everyone as he went. They may be inside a tree but that didn't mean it was sound-proof.

"So what now?" Sylva asked in a quiet tone. "They've practically found us. By the sound of you two, your numbers are shoddy and there's no way to outrun the droids at this point. I doubt that waiting them out in here will do us much good."

"Good practice, this will be. Confident in your skills, you must be, Sylva. Faith in you, I have." With that, the transmission cut out, leaving the room a bit darker while their eyes adjusted to the dimness of the candles again.


	6. Chapter 6

The Jedi walked downstairs to brief the Clones. Rex noticed their host was conspicuously missing. When asked, Obi-wan just replied that she had other things to do at the moment.

The plan consisted of the Clones moving quietly behind the droids while the Jedi distracted them. With Force jumps, the Jedi could easily outmaneuver the droids through the jungle and make their way back to a rendezvous point.

"What about our injured? We could barely carry them here. How are we supposed to evade the droids with them?" Rex asked.

"We don't. One or two will stay here with them while the rest of us make the run. Sylva has mapped out a large area so when reinforcements arrive, they will pick up those we leave here," Obi-wan replied. "Sylva has assured us that there's plenty of supplies and a trading route that's a small ways away. It shouldn't be too long until you're retrieved."

Rex couldn't shake the feeling that they shouldn't be leaving the wounded, even if they were protected, but he didn't question orders.

"Everyone clear on the plan?" Anakin asked. When the majority of the room nodded, Anakin and Obi-wan walked back upstairs to check on Sylva's progress.

They reached the second floor but Sylva hadn't returned yet.

"You ready to distract some droids?" Anakin bantered lightly.

"I'm not sure I completely agree with this plan, though it's understandable considering Sylva has no battle experience," Obi-wan replied. "It's a wonder she managed to devise this plan herself."

"Do you really think the plan will work?"

"Of course it will," Sylva said, descending the stairs on the other side of the large room. "Just have faith it will work."

"If I'm not mistaken, you were doubting yourself about this plan, not ten minutes ago," Obi-wan quipped.

Sylva smirked. "That was before I checked outside. Come on, it's time to go."

The two Jedi followed her upstairs, passing a floor with beds and what looked to be a storage floor. As they climbed, the third floor they came across was an empty room, most likely for meditation. Sylva led them across the vast space and stopped in front of a wall with a crack in it. As they looked closer, Obi-wan realized it wasn't a crack so much as a slit, one that Sylva slipped her fingers into, pulling a small hidden latch. A small door opened, barely big enough for someone to crawl through. The light from outside filtered in, as did the moisture. Anakin and Obi-wan glanced through the small hole through which foggy tendrils began pouring in.

"Interesting," commented Obi-wan. "A hatch near the top of the tree. Not really practical, unless you can somehow jump great distances."

"Exactly," said Sylva. "The fog coming in should provide great cover for the Clones and our escape. Once we engage the droids, it should be easy enough."

"Easier said than done," Anakin retorted, remembering a few experiences.

"After you," Obi-wan gestured. Sylva moved into the hatch, going out onto a thick branch overlooking a vast area of the jungle.

Robotic voices rose from beneath the trio, seeping through the fog.

"The transmission came from this direction."

"Sir, we are detecting several life forms."

"Keep looking, that transmission wasn't long ago. They will still be in this area."

Metallic marching echoed through the trees, the droids main force making its way through the jungle.

"Don't you find it odd," Obi-wan mused quietly, "that few people even know of your existence."

"It is quite troubling sometimes," Sylva admitted, "but wouldn't you be skeptical of someone who dabbled in the Dark side of the Force? It was probably for the best that the Council was kept in the dark. Now's our chance, while the fog is thick."

Anakin leaped down first, cloaked in the dense whiteness.

"Um, sir. We're picking up a life form, directly in front of us."

Obi-wan and Sylva jumped down near Anakin, on either side of him.

"Two more just appeared, sir."

Anakin unleashed his lightsaber, the blue light cutting through the fog.

"A Jedi! Blast 'em!"

Explosions sounded from outside the tree, shaking its foundation.

"That must be our signal," Rex snipped, moving toward the door. "Everyone stay in formation. Keep hidden. This is now a stealth mission to get the Jedi back to the Temple ASAP. Let's move."

The door opened, small clouds of fog rolling inside. The Clones moved slowly at first, making sure no droids were waiting outside the door, then picked up speed, moving through the jungle. Echo reassured a few of the soldiers left behind that it wouldn't be long, leaving with the last of the troops and sealing the door.

They weaved through the trees, staying out of plain view, though visibility was almost nonexistent. Blasters could be heard in the distance, coupled with lightsabers slicing through the Clankers. Robotic voices rang out, orders being given and the cries of the now-out-of-commission. A troubling voice rose out of the roar of battle, stopping the Clones in their tracks.

"How did they get that through this foliage?" It was Obi-wan's concerned words.

"Take it out! We can't risk them blowing the forest to hell!" Anakin replied, still in the distance.

The battle seemed to pick up, more blasting and yells echoing through the trees.

"Keep moving men," Rex urged. What he was going to say next got cut off by a loud discharge, followed by an explosion that rocked the jungle.

Rex turned to see the giant tree they had taken refuge in, crumble into cinders, burning smoke filling the space around it and turning the fog black.


	7. Chapter 7

Sylva watched the smoke billow from what was once her home, remembering the Clones they left there, thinking they would be safe. A droid shot at her, being incredibly rude by not giving her any time to grieve the loss. With a quick movement and swing of her lightsaber, the droid was decapitated, his friend nearby split in half. Sylva felt the anger rise, the suddenness making her struggle to keep it at bay. Sylva pinpointed where the blast came from, a droid gunship, which Skywalker had yelled out a few moments ago, just before it had blasted her home.

She Force-jumped as high as she could manage, landing on top of the aircraft. It moved quickly, almost sending Sylva flying, but she shoved her lightsaber into its exterior, driving with all the force she could muster while keeping the seething rage under control. The gunship slowed its movements, which Sylva took advantage of, dragging the lightsaber through its hull, towards the front. A small explosion signalled her to jump to safety, avoiding the larger explosion and crash landing that soon followed. Luckily, Obi-wan dodged away in time to have the downed ship smash a few battle droids rather than himself.

Obi-wan could only watch the carnage that Sylva unleashed. He noticed that she predominantly used the red lightsaber, though only moments ago, she had been balanced between the two. Most of the blasters were focused on the rampaging woman, slicing through droids and moving into their lines. Anakin was swatting at blasts, defending himself, but not being as aggressive as usual, also fixated on Sylva's power.

"Anakin, let's check on the Troops." Obi-wan lept onto a tree branch, putting away his lightsaber. He glanced back to where Sylva was tearing apart the army. "I think Sylva will catch up soon enough." Anakin sprinted in the same direction, finding the path that the clones were supposed to take.

Sylva didn't notice the other Jedi leave, slicing through the droid army and splitting their lines. The Commando droids didn't stand a chance, falling in pieces around the woman as she barrelled through the robot configurations.

As Anakin made his way through the fog, he couldn't stop thinking about how Sylva's demeanor had changed almost instantly when the droids had bombed her home. She went from a graceful swing to a powerful slash. A smirk to an absolute scowl. Obi-wan had found it utterly unnerving as well. They picked up their pace through the jungle, aware that they were on a battlefield. Minds wandering, the Jedi almost knocked over one of the Clones.

"Generals, where is-"

"Occupied. Come on, Rex. We need to get moving," Anakin said quickly, still moving away from the battle.

"I'm glad all of you got out safely. It's a shame we can't search for survivors at the moment," Obi-wan spoke lowly. "Let's get this mission over with."

Rex nodded and turned to his battalion. "Move it. That Jedi can't hold off the entire army."

Obi-wan began walking and heard Anakin mutter, "Can't say I agree."

After pushing through most of the droid defenses, Sylva's rage tapered off. Surrounded by scattered parts, Sylva looked towards what was once her home, now a broken, smoldering pile. She had trained in that house, spent almost twenty years alone there. She didn't even know who had previously owned it, just that it had been given to her. It had been her safe place, every inch explored and familiar.

And yet, oddly, she felt a sense of finality. Her home was gone, now the only way was forward.

Putting away her lightsabers, Sylva lept into the trees, leaving behind what was left of the droid army and her home.

The Jedi had made it to the rendezvous point, Clones close behind, and had signalled for a ship to pick them up. The only thing wrong with their plan was that Sylva still hadn't shown up.

"We should've given her a communicator before we left," Anakin said. "The last thing we need right now is to show up at the Jedi temple without the one person they asked for."

"Sir, the gunships are in sight," Echo reported.

"Keep an eye on the Jungle, we may have to send out a search party, though in this fog, I'm not sure-"

"Did you miss me already, Obi-wan?" Sylva dropped down from a nearby tree, walking towards the center of the small clearing they occupied.

"Miss Cotaru, right on schedule," Obi-wan articulated. "It's time to leave Felucia. Are you ready to return to Coruscant?"

After a brief glance in the direction of her destroyed house and the shamble of a droid army, Sylva answered, "As I'll ever be."


	8. Chapter 8

After almost 20 years in the Felucian jungle, saying Sylva was uneasy on the ships put it lightly. Finally landing on Coruscant had never been more of a heart attack, as she stepped outside. The metropolitan planet was enormous and swarmed with activity, busy streets as far as the eye could see. Sylva would've backed into the ship if there weren't Clones directly behind her. The city had grown since the last time she was here.

Anakin and Obi-wan led the way to the Jedi Temple where the Council had already convened. Walking through the sacred halls, Sylva's memories flashed by: a chat with Master Yoda, another argument with other younglings, a meeting behind closed doors.

Obi-wan entered the Council's chamber and proceeded to the center of the circle of Jedi masters. He began speaking, most likely reporting what had happened on Felucia, but Sylva spotted her small green master and missed whatever Obi-wan was saying.

"Well, Sylva?" Obi-wan looked to her expectantly.

Sylva was pulled from her thoughts to find everyone on the Council staring at her.

"Hm? Oh, yes." Flushed, she made her way to where Obi-wan was standing.

Taking a deep breath, Sylva looked straight into Yoda's eyes. "Masters. It is good to be back amongst you." She couldn't look away from him. A glance at anyone else and Sylva would've lost her nerve. Clenched fists at her sides, she waited for their response.

"Sylva Cotaru, it is good to see you as well. What has it been, 20 years or so?" spoke Master Plo Koon. The other Masters nodded and mumbled in agreement.

"Did you train well on Felucia?" asked Shaak Ti, a small but proud smile gracing her lips.

Sylva stuttered at first, facing the Togruta Jedi, "Y-yes, Master. It was a good experience, um, up until the end."

"Sylva's residence was destroyed when we fled the droid army," Obi-wan cut in. "Based on the Council's decision, we will need to find her a new place to live."

"Did you engage the droids?" Master Kit Fisto inquired.

"We did," replied Sylva, "Only for a short time."

"And what did you witness of her prowess, Master Kenobi?" asked Master Fisto.

After a brief hesitation, Obi-wan spoke. "She is strong with the force and knows how to use a lightsaber. She came up with our escape plan mostly unaided."

"Interesting," mused Fisto, "that someone with so little battle experience would be able to come up with such a successful plan."

"Our success was limited. We did sustain many casualties, probably more than I'm aware of," Sylva said, glancing at Obi-wan.

"In any case," began Master Windu, "we need to decide how to proceed. Sylva's training in the the Force on her own has reached its limit. Should we proceed to train her here, knowing full well the risks she may pose to other Jedi?"

The Council room grew uncomfortably quiet, Mace Windu's implications sitting heavy with the other Jedi Masters.

After a few moments, Shaak Ti spoke first. "I believe she is ready to resume training at the Jedi Temple. The Force is strong with her, from what I can tell. She has certainly grown in prowess since the last time."

"I agree," said Plo Koon. "Master Fisto does make a good point about her ability to strategize, as well."

Master Krell emerged from the small group that had converged near the door. Apparently, word of a new Jedi had gotten around pretty quickly.

"I do not think this is a good idea. With such a powerful presence, how do we know she can control the Darkside. If she possesses such an affinity for this power, who's to say she won't turn younglings, even by mistake?"

"We do need all the help we can get in the war," Master Fisto added. Master Windu contemplated for a minute. "What do you think, Master Yoda?"

The Council all directed their attention to Yoda, Sylva grateful for the reprieve of attention.

"Hm. Train her here, we will. A great asset, she will become."

Yoda walked up to where Anakin, Obi-wan, and Sylva had gathered after the meeting.

"Alone, may I speak with you?"

"Of course, Master," said Sylva. She thanked Obi-wan and walked alongside Yoda through the Temple halls.

"I am honored that you decided to train me here. It has been so long since I have been around this many Jedi."

The further they walked, the less people they passed. Sylva recognized the direction to Yoda's room.

"Master, why did the Council call me back? After so many years, I thought you had all but forgotten me."

"Forgotten? A Jedi like you, no one here would have forgotten. In danger, we believed you were. Close was the threat of the Sith. Falling to the Darkside, we could not risk you doing," Yoda opened a door, walking in with Sylva on his heels. She glanced around as they entered.

"Haven't done much redecorating, though that's new," Sylva commented idly. She sat across from her Master on some cushions placed on the floor.

"Progress, have you made in your training?" Yoda began.

Sylva nodded but a frown appeared on her face. "I've felt myself moving further from the Darkside, but no matter what I do, I can't escape it. It seems like I should use it, but I have to keep control or it will..."

"It will consume you, until it has eaten away at your very being. Very dangerous, the Darkside is. Why we have kept you away, it is." Yoda looked sympathetically to his student. "Very powerful, you are. A proper balance, you must learn. Battle training begins tomorrow."

Sylva stared confused at her Master, unable to hold in the question she had been dying to ask. "Why have you kept my existence a secret?"

"A secret?" Yoda chuckled. "Know about you, anyone curious enough would have. For training purposes, you were sent to Felucia."

"But, Master, training on Felucia has alienated me from the war, until it reached my doorstep."

"Experience with leading Clones, you need, before we can pit you against the Separatists. Made very clear, the Jedi Council did. Good training for you, this will be, after years of isolation. Long, it will not be, based on Obi-wan's report. Very intuitive, he believes you are. Right, he is."

"I understand, Master. I am looking forward to it." Sylva smiled brightly. The grin soon disappeared, replaced by a grimmace. "What if I don't complete this training, though? People will die if I don't make the right decisions."

"Mm. A heavy burden, leadership carries. A right answer, there is not. Only what you decide is best. Many losses, yes. But sacrifices, there must be. A time of war, we are in."


	9. Chapter 9

Sylva woke early, not able to sleep most of the night. The Jungle was so different from the city, she became startled by every ship, every loud drunk that happened to pass by. This first day would be rough, no doubt. Sylva just hoped it went well enough.

As the Sun rose, she got out of bed and dressed in her dark robes. Pulling her hair back, Sylva felt comfortable in her familiar clothes, despite being unaccustomed to the space.

Masters Yoda and Windu greeted her, not long after exiting her temporary room. They led the Jedi down the temple passages until they reached a hanger. A short trip later, Sylva found them standing in front of a large building with Clones bustling in and out. They walked through a bit of the building and stopped in front of a pair of doors.

"Since it's your first day, we decided that you should be familiar with those you fight beside," said Master Windu, standing in front of the door.

"Wanted to be here, Master Shaak Ti did," commented Yoda. "Do well, she believes you will."

Mace opened the door to reveal the Clone's mess hall. The scene was chaotic to say the least, a loud environment of friends and brothers taking a short break from their duties. A shout rang out and the rowdy soldiers all stood at attention, dropping their shenanigans in an instant. The quiet bothered Sylva much more than the loss of her words in a crowd, all attention fixed on the small group of Jedi.

"This is Sylva Cotaru," Mace introduced after a short pause. "She is beginning her training for combat. She is, now, your newest general. Treat her with the same respect as any other Jedi. Carry on." With that, Windu and Yoda left the room, closing the door behind them with a final thud.

Sylva looked around the room uneasily, all their focus trained on her alone. "U-uh...hello. I-I'm Sylva."

Her stuttering was eating away at what little confidence she had. What if this was a test? She was obviously failing. Sylva's stomach rumbled, she remembered she never got breakfast. Almost tripping over her own feet, Sylva made her way towards the buffet area on the far wall. As she walked, the Clones began to fall back into their conversations, though the tone was much quieter.

" _That's the new general?_ " whispered one of the soldiers.

" _Kinda timid. Think she'll be a good leader?_ " asked another.

 _"I heard she got a bunch of Clones killed."_

Sylva tried to block out the whispers as she grabbed some food and stacked her tray. When she finished loading up, she turned and realized how tough this challenge was going to be. Now, she faced a room full of Clones, all who knew each other, basically since birth, and she had to integrate herself. Somehow.

"Think Sylva will do well? The Clones aren't going to take to her easily after what happened on Felucia," Mace said, walking with Yoda.

"Why it's called a test, this is. Much to learn, she has," replied Yoda.

"Good relations with the Clones isn't a necessity, Master, but I do see your point."

"Mmm, yes. Follow orders, they do. But, in trust, comes true loyalty."

All the tables seemed to be taken up by one group or another, and after walking past a few, Sylva debated finding a corner to eat in until a Clone waved her over. She recognized some of the helmets at the table from Felucia.

"Hey," greeted the one who waved her over. "Have a seat with us. I'm Fives, by the way. And this is Echo."

"I remember you from Felucia. Thank you, Fives and Echo." Sylva sat down next to the two, balancing the stacks of food on her tray.

Echo glanced questionably at the portion of food sitting in front of the Jedi. "Nice to know you didn't forget. Nice speech, by the way. Uh, do you normally eat that much?"

"I tend to stress-eat. Also, it's been awhile since my last meal, so..." Sylva had a sheepish look and started to munch.

Fives chuckled, "I think Echo is impressed." He glanced around the room, catching some of the stares and whispers. "Don't worry about the rest of them. They're good guys, but..."

Sylva cut him off with a hand, quickly swallowing her mouthful. "I'm sure the rumors have already spread around. I wasn't expecting much different."

After a few moments of silence, Echo said, "So, what was it like living on Felucia, General Cotaru?"

"Oh, please, call me Sylva, or whatever. I mean, I'm already calling you by nicknames, not titles. We may as well be even." Sylva was surprised by the weird looks she got from the two Clones. "Anyway, it's a lot different from here. Way less people. I was on my own for most of my time there."

"Guys," another Clone walked up, breaking the silence, "I don't know if you've noticed the attention you're getting, but there's been some...unnerving conversations among the others."

"Yeah, Hardcase, we noticed," Fives replied. "Why don't you meet the new general, Sylva. That's what she came here for."

Sylva smiled at him through a mouthful, gave a tiny wave, and continued her chewing.

"Uh, yeah...hi." Hardcase sat with the trio, and continued the conversation. "I don't think they like the idea that she carries a red lightsaber. And those wounded who died in the tree don't help her case."

Fives and Echo sat in silence as Sylva continued eating, sticking larger spoonfuls in now. Her stress-eating was getting worse. Echo noticed, and tried to calm her down. "Hey, I'm sure once they get to know you, they'll be a lot more...understanding."

"Understanding of what? That we left brothers behind and they ended up dying because we followed her?" said Hardcase.

Fives glared at him, tone shifting to irritation. "Calls had to be made. She's inexperienced, which is why the Jedi are training her. Sylva is just as upset about their deaths. Isn't that right?"

The knowing look Fives had made the other Clones notice the circles under Sylva's eyes, and remember how detached she was on the trip to Coruscant.

A Clone walked over from the other side of the room and stood with his arms crossed on his chest.

"Sucking up to the new General already, eh boys?"

"Aw, come on, Slick," said Fives. "We fought with her on Felucia. Whatever rumors you heard, she's really not-"

"Not what? Not a real Jedi? Because that's what I've been hearing." Slick put a hand on the table and bent over Sylva, encroaching on her space. Echo tried to protest but was swiftly ignored by the higher ranked officer. "I hear you carry around a Sith's saber. Is that right?"

Sylva, who had been slowly gnawing on her food, swallowed and turned towards Slick. He backed off when Sylva flashed a smirk out of nowhere and replied, "That's correct. I do have a red lightsaber. Would you like to see...up close?"

Slick uncrossed his arms and started moving away from her.

"And you may want to check your attitude, Soldier. I am your commanding officer." With that, Sylva flashed a warning glance and turned back to her meal, which was mostly gone. She took a few deep breaths and began to pick at the leftovers.

Hardcase was the first to break silence, "I don't think I've ever seen Slick so scared."

"Yeah," said Fives. "It was awesome."

Captain Rex found the Jedi easily among the white uniforms. He made his way to the small group, which had grown by a few 501st soldiers, including Jesse, Dogma, and Kix.

"General Cotaru, they want you on the training floor."

Sylva stood to leave, grabbing her tray. Rex turned to the others and asked, "Anyone else want to join her?"

To Sylva's surprise, the entire table got up and followed her.

"We've set the difficulty high so be careful out there," said Master Plo Koon, who was overseeing the trial. Kix and Dogma stood next to him, happy to be safe from the blasters. They had only needed four clones for the exercise and the two soldiers had gladly let the others step forward. The hits weren't fatal, but you would be sore in the morning.

The platform rose, containing Echo, Hardcase, Fives, Jesse, and Sylva, who now faced a two story fortress. Droids were scattered across the entire training floor, the sheer numbers making a swift assault impossible. The building itself was two sets of walls. The first was a tall one with a few decorative ridges here and there. The second was set further back, droids occupying the space in front of it, on top of the first.

A buzzer sounded and the team had to scramble for cover as the practice droids began firing off.

Sylva had a few close calls, feeling the heat from one blast near her face.

"So, what's the objective here?" she called.

"We need to reach that flag at the top of the ledge," replied Jesse. "We take that, and the mission's complete."

Sylva risked a look towards their goal, glancing at the target before ducking behind her cover, a blast barely missing her.

"I'm guessing there's no stairs."

"We have cables," reported Echo, "but we'd be sitting ducks if we tried to scale the wall with all these droids."

The shouting over blaster fire was wearing on Sylva's nerves, not to mention the pressure of passing her first trial.

Another glance, and another close call, Sylva tried to map out locations in her head. The droids were closing in, despite the clones picking them off. Snipers were positioned on the top of the first floor of the building but they hadn't fired yet. Sylva wondered if there were Commando droids in the simulation practices. The heaviest concentration was up the middle, blocking any direct paths to the flag.

"General," Fives voice broke through her concentration, "have any ideas?"

"A few," Sylva replied. "Cover the sides. We're making a run up the center. Spread out a little but make sure everyone's covered." Sylva brought out her lightsabers and leaped over the wall piece they had taken cover behind. She began slashing through droids, their focus directing towards her.

"Well, I guess we'd better help her before she gets herself killed," Hardcase commented.

Jesse replied, "Remind you of anyone?"

Droids were beginning to flank Sylva on both sides, but the clones quickly took care of them, following closely as she charged up the middle. Sylva knew the middle had less cover, trying to protect the four as best she could, deflecting blasts with her lightsaber. Movement caught Sylva's eye from the building, one of the snipers was moving.

"Everyone grab some cover!" she ordered. Fives and Hardcase shared space to Sylva's right, Echo and Jesse each with individual cover to her left. She glanced over the outcropping and saw that more of the snipers were moving, shifting around and aiming their sights in the team's direction. Now she could see that there was three of them, each with two other droids behind them.

"Nine droids, top of the wall. Three snipers. Two guards each. They only fire when we get close enough. Anyone have any suggestions?"

"We could use a distraction," said Hardcase. "The others take out the snipers."

"What about the guards?" asked Jesse.

Fives answered him. "The distractions can aim for them instead. They'll have to have a fast trigger finger."

Sylva thought for a minute, still irritated by the never-ceasing blaster fire. "Alright. Two distractions, two covered. I'll take care of the ones on the ground. Just don't miss."

"Those snipers are going to present a major problem," commented Dogma.

"Let's just hope they can take 'em out," said Kix.

"I'm not too worried about the snipers," replied Master Plo Koon. "It's what will happen if they lose a team member, that I'm concerned about. They're relying on the fact that they have five members. Only four of them have blasters. Take one away, and..."

"And they have a higher possibility of failure," Dogma finished.

Sylva gave the hand signal and jumped out from behind her cover, trying not to think about the snipers aiming at her. Instead, she focused on the fire from directly in front of them. Jesse and Fives were helping Sylva and clearing a path towards the sides of the training floor. Once in a good position, they started firing at the snipers and guards. Sylva kept slashing and moving forward, trying to reach the wall as fast as she could. Among the other blaster noise, three distinct shots rang out. Only two were clone blasters.

Sylva looked back to see Hardcase on the ground, holding his chest. Sylva had almost reached the wall, would have leapt to the top and completed the objective. Instead, she found herself pulling Hardcase to some cover near her with the Force. After checking on him, Sylva took note of the other three. Fives and Jesse were working their way in towards the center. Echo made a break to where Sylva was, avoiding shots from the remaining sniper and three guards.

"We still need to get up both these walls, with Hardcase, without being shot down by that sniper," said Echo.

"Hey...I'm not...dead," said Hardcase, breathing deeply.

"I can't jump up there without taking a few hits," Sylva mused. "Unless you can try and hit those droids again like we did last time. Only, now you're the distraction, Echo."

"Wait, what?"

Echo moved back a bit to get a clear shot at the sniper. On his command, Sylva poised and jumped high in the air. She had the droids' attention but the clones firing at them was deemed the priority. They started firing at the now exposed Echo, who scrambled for another outcropping, Fives and Jesse trying to cover him. With their focus downward, Sylva attacked from above. Mid-air, she brought her lightsaber down through the sniper's midsection, quickly turning on the other three droids.

Once they were disposed of, Sylva walked to the edge and called, "Get up here before I'm tempted to cut your cables."

The three dragged Hardcase over to the wall, who was picked up by Sylva, using her right hand with the Force to lift him to the top of the second wall.

"Show off," said Jesse.

After waiting for the others to reach the top of the first wall, Sylva just watched as the three clones scaled the second wall. Hardcase was sitting up, greeting them as they ascended to the top, still out of breath.

"Hey, Sylva! You coming or what?"

She smiled to herself and leapt up to join the four and grab the flag, looking out over the training floor, littered with droid parts and blast marks.

After being summoned to the council room, Sylva made her way to the center of the ring.

"Miss Cotaru, you have passed the first trial," announced Master Windu. "Being able to communicate and keep your concentration under duress is vital to operations. Having good relations with your men is important as well. Master Plo Koon was impressed by your actions. The Council has deemed that you will progress to the next stage of training."

Sylva was sent back to her chambers to await the next part of her instruction. She smiled the entire trip to her to room.


	10. Chapter 10

Several Months Later

"Hey, Sylva. Haven't seen you in a few weeks," greeted Anakin, walking through the hanger. "How'd the mission with Obi-wan go?"

Sylva smiled as she walked up to him. "Oh, you know, had to stop an onslaught of droids from taking over a planet. The usual. Waxer and Boil have started calling me "nerra". Haven't quite figured that one out yet. I think Obi-wan is a little jealous, to be honest."

Anakin just chuckled. "He does like to be held in high regard with the clones. Maybe he thinks you're competing for attention."

"Whatever the case," said Sylva, "he's been a bit mopey. Go cheer him up, will ya? I've already been summoned by the council."

The Jedi Knight nodded and walked in the direction of the ship Sylva had just departed from, Clones and personnel still exiting the craft.

Sylva found her way to the Council room and walked in silently, shutting the door behind her. The masters took notice of her immediately and finished the conversation quickly, something about the Chancellor.

"Back from the mission, I see," greeted Master Yoda.

Making her way to the center of the circle, Sylva answered, "Yes, Master. It went as well as expected, if not better."

"Very good, Miss Cotaru," commented Master Windu. "Since your training has gone so well, we are going to review whether or not you are ready to assume full command."

Obi-wan entered the room, not even changed from his battle attire that was stained with smoke and blaster burns. "Sorry I'm late. Usually, I have enough time to freshen up before meetings." He crossed the room and sat in his chair, now focusing on Sylva standing before him. "What were we going to discuss?"

"We are evaluating Sylva to see if she is ready," Master Plo Koon stated. Obi-wan understood immediately, figuring this would happen eventually.

"Miss Cotaru," Kit Fisto began, "I had the honor of evaluating your first training exercise. Though it was simulated and certain obstacles were presented, you managed to bring your entire team to the top of the 'fortress'."

"You also aided me when we had to escort supplies to the Twi'leks and showed exemplary skills when negotiating with the Madalorians," Master Plo Koon added.

"The Mon Calamari are still thanking us for the tasks you completed for them," said Master Windu. "Master Obi-wan, what is your report on the assignment to Florrum?"

Obi-wan pondered for a moment, then responded, "She saved my life yet again. Hondo and his pirates certainly like to take prisoners. She managed to evade capture, rescue me, and didn't lose any of the men we brought. To top it off, Hondo agreed to our trade conditions because of her."

Sylva stood silently, a little overwhelmed by the summary of everything she had done in the past three months.

"She teaches Clones on Kamino in her spare time," chimed in Master Shaak Ti.

They remained quiet after she spoke, debating the information. The silence seemed to drag on as Sylva awaited their decision.

"I believe," Master Windu spoke, "she is ready. Everyone in favor?"

Nearly everyone raised their hand, except for Master Krell. He scowled, seeming to begrudgingly accept Sylva's promotion, but his hands remained by his sides.

""Then we are in agreement. Tomorrow, Sylva will lead her own task force to the planet of Seline."

"So, you're telling me that only two of these soldiers know each other, have little battle experience, and all have been sent here from failed missions?" Sylva said quietly, standing in the control room on Kamino, reading off the soldier bios.

The admiral nodded. "It was the best we could muster on short notice, General Cotaru. Our forces are being stretched thin."

Sylva let out a sigh. "Looking at their records, they're all basically Shinies, except the Sergeant. These troops should be broken. All of their teams were killed and they haven't even finished half their reconditioning. I hope we don't end up in a dogfight."

Leaving the room, the Jedi walked through the passageways until she entered the Mess Hall. She walked to the front where a small stage was placed, carrying the list of her troops.

"Attention!" she called out, silencing the crowded room. "CT-2746, Zephyr. CT-1822, Inferno. CT-2020, Killshot. CT-5543, Pyre. CT-1420, Reefer. CT-1142, Gary. CT-2213, Blaze. Report to Sergeant Permafrost in Bay 3 for mission briefing, immediately." With that, she walked to Bay 3, awaiting the Clones.

Sylva spotted the Sergeant in the room designated as Bay 3, a classroom with two rows of tables.

"Hey, Frost. How's the snow?" Sylva greeted him, chuckling softly.

"If you're commenting on my attire, I thought we were going directly to Seline," the Sergeant deadpanned. He had already donned his cold-weather armor, only missing his helmet, which sat next to him on the podium at the front of the room. He was clean shaven, the only distinguishing mark being a snowflake tattoo on the left side of his temple.

Sylva smiled at his seriousness. "Glad to have you on board. I thought we would be going directly to Seline as well. Here come the others."

Said Clones walked through the hall to where the two were standing, a few complaining about how they didn't get to finish their lunch. They took seats in the class-style room, more quiet than usual, except two with facial hair.

"Settle down, men!" The Sergeant ordered. "I am Sergeant Permafrost, but you may shorten it to 'Frost'. Time for the briefing. Go ahead, General."

"Thank you," Sylva nodded at him, becoming serious once again. "Our mission is to check on the Outpost of Seline. They've been broadcasting the 'All Clear' signal but haven't responded to any of our hailings for the past two days. We expect to find some kind of communication malfunction, but in case we stumble upon otherwise, be prepared for a fight. Make sure your equipment is in good condition. Don't want any of you freezing out there. Any questions?"

No hands raised, so Sylva continued. "Alright, I need to know everyone's specialties to make a few adjustments."

One Clone stood up and introduced himself. "Zephyr, sir. I'm a pilot and aerial specialist."

"Zephyr," Sylva repeated, looking at her bios list. "Says here that you survived a crash when droids shot the engines. How'd you manage that?"

"Just a bit of finesse, sir." He was also clean shaven, few discerning marks, including a bruise over one blue eye. The Kaminoans must have been slacking.

Another stood as Zephyr took his seat once more. "Reefer here, sir. No specialties but if we're in a pinch, I always have some ideas floating around."

Sylva nodded, noting his facial hair. The man sitting next to him stood up as well. "I'm Blaze, sir. I'm aiming to be a Fire Trooper." This guy was bald, facial hair similar to Reefer's. They were the only two in the room who were previously acquainted.

"The name's Inferno. I'm an explosives expert." The man had burn marks on his right cheek, almost scarred.

"Oh, I bet," said the Jedi, a little surprised at his bio. "It says you escaped two burning buildings within a week."

"Yes, sir," Inferno sat down, his neutral expression exhibiting a fierceness.

A man with cross-hairs tattooed across his right eye spoke. "Killshot, sir. Sniper."

"To the point. Thank you. Who's next?" Sylva looked at the remaining two. One was staring at her, almost studying the Jedi. "You, soldier. What's your name?"

"Pyre. Heavy artillery." He looked away, realizing he was staring. Another quiet one.

"Last, huh," commented the most generic looking Clone Sylva had ever seen. "I'm Gary. I guess I'm just really lucky."

"It certainly looks like it. I don't understand how you took out an entire droid squadron 'by accident'." Sylva shook her head, closing the bios. "We leave for Seline immediately. Dismissed."

"We're nearing the planet's surface," called Zephyr from the cockpit. The rest of the team was presently trying not to vomit from his piloting. Sylva tried to distract the men from their nausea but she wasn't used to the turbulence, even after three months, and almost fell onto the floor of the transport.

"I thought you said you were _good_ ," Blaze shouted at the pilot.

Zephyr cackled from his seat, "I said I could do aerial maneuvers! I never said I was good! Hold on, we're coming in for a landing! With this wind, it's gonna get bumpy!"

A cumulative groan resounded from the back, six passengers about to hurl on the metal floor and one Sergeant threatening that anyone who does would clean it up. The transport landed without any lost lunches and a cheerful pilot announcing the arrival. Sylva pulled up her hood and placed goggles over her eyes, checking the rest of the team. With a nod from the Sergeant, she opened the hatch and stood against cold air blasting into the small space. The wind wasn't strong, a few snowflakes swirled in the air, but Sylva knew a storm was about to hit. It would reduce visibility to nothing and finding the ship would be impossible.

"Remind me again why we landed so far from the outpost?" Inferno griped.

Sylva answered curtly, "We don't know if enemies control the base, so it was a precaution. We're close enough to make an escape, if need be."

They trudged through the snow, trying to avoid rocks hidden in the white expanse. Reaching the landing platform in front of the main door, Sylva noticed that no sentry was posted. It felt a bit odd, though they could've been ordered inside from the oncoming blizzard. "No sentry. Stay sharp."

The group moved towards the door, four moving to the sides of the door, while the remaining four and Sylva pressed the com button. They stood for a minute, listening to the wind, howling now. After no answer came, Sylva pressed it again. No answer.

"Something feels off," Frost said, stepping back from the door. "Even if there's no deck officer out here, someone should always be manning the com."

"Let's get this door open," commanded Sylva.

Pyre moved from his spot beside the door to the com panel, opening it and messing with some wires. "Sir, this looks like it's been tampered with."

"Blasters ready, guys. Pyre, the door."

After a few seconds, the door slid open. Sylva cautiously walked forward into the entrance. It was a long hallway that sloped up: she couldn't see what was over the top. There was also a door on either side of the passage, both closed, probably for maintenance. She motioned the troops forward carefully. They made their way inside and stopped. A lone Clone trooper walked towards them over the slope.

"You there!" called Frost. "What's going on in this outpost?"

The Clone remained silent and continued walking towards them. Sylva saw he was unarmed, which seemed unnatural.

"This temperature is too warm for a base. It's against regulation," whispered Reefer, who was promptly told to shut up by Inferno.

As the trooper neared, Sylva could make out something he was saying under his breath, "...out of here..."

"Soldier, what is your number? What's that you're saying?" Sylva asked, concern edging in her voice.

"I SAID GET OUT OF HERE!"

The doors snapped shut behind the group and a blast fired from the top of the slope. The unarmed Clone fell into Sylva's arms, dead.

"Get those side doors opened now!" she yelled.

Blaster fire hailed on them, each scrambling to find shelter. Sylva found herself dragging the body with her behind a beam. Peeking around, she confirmed their fears: Commando Droids.

"Pyre! Doors!"

The troops didn't have sights on their targets, except for Killshot, earning his name. Sylva took note of everyone's positions, taking cover behind beams and what few crates lay in the hallway. She was the furthest one up, Frost, Blaze, Zephyr, Inferno, and Pyre all behind her. Killshot was picking the droids off from behind a crate, flanked by Reefer and Gary against the far wall. She could try to deflect fire and protect the men but she couldn't cover all three, if she could cover them at all with the large volume of fire raining down on them. Killshot wasn't making a dent in their forces, it seemed.

"Got it!" Pyre called.

"Everyone in, now!" Reefer ran first, making it unscathed. Sylva moved back, beam by beam, leaving the dead Clone. Gary crossed, thanks to Killshot covering him, and followed closely as Blaze and Inferno fired off a few rounds. Sylva made it in, finally, and ordered the door shut once everyone was accounted for.

Propping themselves against the walls, the team took a breather, only to be startled by a voice rising from the darkness behind them.

"I was wondering when they'd send reinforcements," came the chiding, female voice.

Sylva stood, hands on her lightsabers as a figure emerged, the one and only Asajj Ventress.

"Uh uh. No playtime today." Ventress raised her arm quickly and Sylva flew against the door they had just come through.

Pain shot through the Jedi's head and back, groaning as she tried to focus her vision. What she made out through the haze was Ventress easily downing her troops with a wave of her slim, tattooed hand. Sylva tried to stand against the door but slid back to the floor, blacking out.

"Sweet dreams, Jedi."


	11. Chapter 11

The venomous words of Ventress penetrated Sylva's consciousness. She tried to open her eyes, but the light stung as it poured in. She wondered vaguely whether any of her team was still alive, or if the Jedi council had any idea of what happened to them.

"I told you the temperature was weird," came a voice through the haze.

"Shut up Reefer."

They're still alive. Sylva made a second attempt to open her eyes, shifting a bit. She was upright against...the door? No, that was metal. This was rough, maybe concrete. So she had been moved somewhere, hopefully still in the base.

"The General is waking up," said another voice, probably Frost by the tone.

Sylva shielded her eyes weakly and sat up a bit, taking in their new surroundings, including the handcuffs she currently wore. The men were confined in a small storage room that had been cleared out with a makeshift door-field blocking the exit.

"Where..."

"Still in the base, sir," Frost reported, sitting next to her.

Sylva nodded, still foggy on details. "Is everyone okay?"

"All accounted for."

"Okay," Sylva began a mental checklist, removing her hands from her face. "Frost, you and Pyre start working on the door-field. I need to get these cuffs off. Everyone else, make sure no one comes by."

Sitting cross-legged, the Jedi focused on the metal encircling her wrists, and tried to pry it away. Slowly, the metal warped large enough for her to slip her hands through.

"It's a sloppy door-field. We should have it down in a minute," Pyre reported.

"Want me to time you?" Killshot asked sarcastically.

"Good," Sylva turned to the rest of the group. "We need to retrieve our weapons and get out of here."

"Ventress most likely has your lightsabers," Gary said from the corner. "How do you expect to get those?"

"I don't."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Sylva sighed heavily. "I've never faced a Sith. I'm not strong enough. If I attempt to take her on, the mission, and you, will all be put in danger. I'm not willing to risk it."

A zap sounded from where Frost and Pyre crouched, no longer illuminated by the field. "Got it," they announced. The team stood, putting on their helmets, and moved towards the door.

"Time to go," Sylva commanded.

As they exited, Pyre put his hand on the Jedi's shoulder. "Don't worry, sir. You're stronger than Ventress." Sylva stared at him, wide eyed, but he continued on normally.

They walked down a hall with two doors and a turn that was brightly illuminated. Gary tried one of the doors, found it opened, and looked inside.

"Hey, guys! Weapons!"

The rest of the team followed him through the doors, Reefer mumbling about how easy it seemed. They stopped short, barely inside the door, when Sylva pushed through to the front of the group.

"Oh, my..." Before the team was a pile of bodies, the Clones who had been posted there. Bloody and burned, the deceased soldiers looked as if they had been thrown in here after death, unceremoniously.

After a minute of stark quiet, Sylva moved to the pile of weapons at the side of the dark room.

"Come on, guys. We need to leave." She grabbed a blaster from the top of the stack and handed it to Inferno. "I know you probably knew them but we need to go, now." Her words were gentle but firm, trying to convey urgency as the team looked on.

"The General is right," Blaze said, quietly. "Let's get out of here."

They grabbed weapons as fast as they could and marched out the door, closing it behind them.

"I'm telling you guys, it's way too easy," Reefer urgently whispered. "Where are all the droids? The guards?"

"He's right," Sylva stopped in the middle of the hall, just before the turn. "This is weird."

They cautiously made their way to the control room. Turning a corner, Inferno spotted them immediately.

"Explosives! They're surrounding the main console. Probably remote activated. We need to move, now."

"Wait," Frost said. "The droids are most likely waiting outside. If we run out, they'll shoot us down once the door opens."

Sylva looked around the console, trying to find any clues as to how the bombs went off.

"Don't even bother," Inferno said. "It's remote activated. We need to move."

"Alright, look for another exit," Sylva commanded.

The team split up, trying to find a makeshift escape route. Reefer stumbled upon a ventilation shaft close to the floor. He popped the cover off and turned to the scattered clones.

"Hey, over here! I found a way out!"

Sylva rushed over, surveying the options. "Good work, Reefer."

"What?" Inferno said, exasperated. "How is this a good idea? I bet it doesn't even lead outside. If it does, the outer covering will be frozen shut."

"It's better than exploding in here," Sylva countered, ducking into the tight crawl space.

Inferno looked to his fellow troops to back him up but they followed Sylva without a second look.

Killshot shrugged at him. "She's right."

Inferno relented, ducking into the vent. The metal had gotten cooler as they made their way through the shaft. They crawled single file until they reached a possible opening, small gusts of wind coming in through the slats of another vent cover. Blaze, who had decided to go first, pressed against the metal opening. When it didn't budge, he forced his weight against the vent, still unyielding. Sylva reached a hand out, brushing against the clone's side. He moved to the left side of the vent space as best he could.

Sylva shuffled forward and extended her hand with a forceful gesture. The cover flew off, sending snow blasting into the vent. Sylva yelled for them to be careful moving forward, but no one could hear her over the howling wind now entering the crawl space. Blaze looked over the edge he was sitting on, moving his legs under him, and jumped down the few feet to the snowy surface.

Sylva glanced down at him, watching as he steadied himself and looked back up to where his team was. Sylva jumped down next and proceeded to walk out a bit, trying to determine their location and where Ventress might be. The wind made visibility very poor, she could only see a few feet ahead of her. Once all of the team had made it out of the vent, Sylva returned back to the group.

"Anyone have bearings? Where's the ship?" Sylva shouted, barely able to hear herself.

"I think we came out on the East side of the compound," Frost replied. "If we move North along the building, we should end up behind the Transport."

"Alright, let's move! Keep an eye out for clankers," Sylva ordered, leading along the wall of the outpost.

It was slow going, the wind made everyone walk at an angle with the ground. The rocky terrain didn't help either, slippery rocks impeding as much as they could. Sylva tried to shield her eyes with her arm, the biting wind making its way through her thick coats. She looked out from their position along the concrete building and saw the outline of their transport in the snow. She yelled but the wind carried away Sylva's voice, so she stopped and pointed it out. It didn't take long for the team to catch on and they started making their way towards the ship.

The closer they got, the more shapes Sylva saw near the transport. She realized what they were in time to dodge a shot, fired by Commando droids surrounding the ship. An onslaught began, forcing the clones to run for any cover they could find in the swirling snow. They began to fire back with their salvaged weapons, taking care to avoid shooting their only escape off the planet.

The Jedi tried to help as much as she could, untrained with a blaster. She saw one of the droids move towards their position behind a group of boulders, not firing like its companions. As it came closer, Sylva made out its robes. Moving from cover, Sylva trudged towards the figure, ignoring shouts from her team, blown away by the wind.

Sylva stopped a few feet from the figure, a bald woman who sneered menacingly.

"Ventress. Want to have a show down?" Sylva taunted.

"Why would I want to do that?" she replied. "I have your lightsabers and your ship. I can just kill you."

Sylva smirked, spotting her lightsabers hanging from Ventress's belt. Shooting her hands out, Sylva pulled them out of her grasp, flying into the Jedi's awaiting hands. With a satisfying _vwoosh_ , Sylva stood before the Sith apprentice, ready to fight.

Ventress clenched her jaw and drew her red lightsabers. Both dual-wielding women faced off, determining the best strategy, until Ventress rushed Sylva, lightsabers swinging in a wide arc. Sylva dodged to her left, narrowly missing the glowing blades. Ventress stayed aggressive, pursuing Sylva wherever she leapt or rolled to. A down slash caused Sylva to finally raise her lightsabers, blocking the incoming attack. They exchanged blows, moving through the thick snow, both women gaining and losing ground, moving towards the outpost. Sylva's acrobatic prowess outmatched the Sith, so she took to the air as best she could. Ventress was undaunted by the attacks coming from above, using the increase of openings to her advantage. Sylva barely evaded a forceful thrust, landing hard on the slippery terrain. She turned to face Ventress, coming at her fast, and their blades collided, sending sparks from where the four lightsabers rubbed. Ventress pressed, forcing Sylva down before she could counter, breaking their contact.

Only separated by a few feet, Sylva risked a glance back at her clones. Through the snow and blaster fire, she saw most of them fighting, making their way towards the ship. They had taken out a majority of the droids but she only counted six.

Ventress yelled, viciously attacking the preoccupied Jedi. Sylva, caught off guard, barely managed to block her attacks but stumbled, falling into the snow.

She looked back towards her men and spotted a clone holding up one of his brothers, clearly injured. There was no telling which one he was and Ventress had closed in. Sylva's helplessness poured through her body as she stared up at the bald woman, lightsabers poised to kill.

Pyre sprinted to help Inferno, shot in the abdomen. Luckily, he would live if they got off this planet. Pyre felt a chill go down his spine and looked to where Sylva had challenged Ventress. The tattooed woman held her lightsabers over her head, about to strike the Jedi.

"Sylva!" Pyre shouted, hand flying out towards the woman.

Ventress's head snapped to the side, making her stop for a moment in surprise. Sylva took advantage of the distraction and kicked the Sith in the stomach. She flew onto her back and Sylva leapt up, lunging at her. Ventress raised her lightsaber protectively and the four blades collided. She managed to push Sylva's advances back enough to get to her knees, the women struggling for the upper hand.

Pyre looked at his hand until Inferno's pained moan brought him back to the situation. He hoisted the man onto his shoulder and tried to keep up with the advancing team.

The two women remained locked, teeth grit with determination, all their force pushing on one point. The lightsabers threw sparks, pressure between them building. Ventress smirked, feeling the upper hand, but the smile quickly vanished. She began to fall, the blades nearing her face. She looked up with disdain at the Jedi, whose demeanor had taken on a different look. Sylva was no longer the calm Jedi. Her face had morphed with anger, sneer crossing her face. The green light of Sylva's lightsaber was completely drowned out with that of three red. The crimson light made Sylva absolutely menacing. Ventress found herself becoming outmatched.

Pyre dragged Inferno to a nearby rock, watching the others pick off the remaining Commando droids. He spotted one, taking shelter behind the transport, holding something. He glanced to where the women were locked in combat, moving towards the compound. Panic began to make its way into Pyre's mind and he looked back to the droid. It held a detonator, its finger pressing the button.

Sylva had been caught up in the feeling of the Dark side rush through her to notice Pyre screaming. She forced Ventress down even further, then suddenly, heat engulfed her and she was moving through snow-filled air. Sylva opened her eyes to see an expanse of pure white, pain shooting through her body. Pushing herself off the ground, Sylva glanced around. Two of the clones were sprinting towards her, the rest had taken the transport. Ventress was nowhere to be seen.

"General, are you alright?" Frost said, reaching her. She had been thrown halfway to the ship.

"Y...yeah, I'm fine."

"Let's get off this planet," Blaze said, pulling one of Sylva's arms over his shoulder, taking her weight.

The two clones helped Sylva to the transport. Zephyr was already in the pilot's seat, despite a unanimous protest. Blaze set the Jedi next to Inferno, Pyre performing a medic's duties. The transport took off, leaving the burning outpost and snowy terrain behind.


	12. Chapter 12

Sylva trampled through the thick Umbaran jungle, followed by her small force of clones. Obi-wan had been getting antsy when General Krell hadn't been reporting in, but seeing as how the Besalisk was currently in charge of the 501st, he couldn't bring himself to wait until they contacted. Sylva offered in a heartbeat, fond of the soldiers and reminding him of the advantages of a smaller task force. Though she wasn't too fond of the General, Krell seemed like a capable Jedi. If he could do the same for the Clones, Sylva couldn't be sure.

After getting out of the infirmary, the proceedings hadn't exactly gone well for Sylva on Coruscant. Losing a base near to a Star port and letting Ventress escape put everyone in the council on edge. She had put in a request for a few days off, but the campaign on Umbara wouldn't wait for her or her soldiers.

Inferno seemed to be holding up fine walking next to his brothers in the dense brush, but Sylva couldn't help but look back from time to time, just checking on him. He shouldn't have been so happy to be let out of the infirmary early just to go on another mission. He just chalked it up to another scar.

"General," Zephyr called. "We're nearing the last known position."

Clearing her mind, Sylva caught her first glimpses of the Umbaran outpost in the distance. She proceeded, though cautiously. Something felt off.

"Stay sharp, boys," she called, noticing light flickering around the clearing they neared.

Slowly approaching, Sylva could hardly comprehend the carnage they came across.

Clone bodies were scattered about the airfield they had arrived at, airships burning in the distance. Sylva did a quick sweep of the surrounding area, ignoring what havoc she could to stay concentrated. A few troops moved about, but General Krell was nowhere to be seen.

Sylva motioned for her troops to stay close, glancing among them before moving into the open. Halfway across the clearing, blaster fire rang out, spooking the small group into ready positions.

"I don't like this," Blaze said lowly. "Where is everyone?"

The building looked to be nearly empty despite the known number of soldiers that were supposedly brought there. A quiet engulfed the area, ignoring the fires still going on the aircrafts, now out of comission.

Sylva noticed broken glass littering the ground as they moved closer, paired with scars that matched a lightsaber's power. Several of the bodies also showed signs that they had been struck down by a force user. Sylva's discomfort grew to panic as she narrowed down their options.

"Soldier," called the Jedi to one of the few passing Clones. "What's going on?"

The man stopped abruptly at the sight of the small group, then sprinted over. "General Cotaru, sir! General Krell has betrayed us!"

The commotion in the forest drew closer. If the Clones were fighting a force user, they'd need all the help they could get. And if what the trooper just said was true, it was going to be one hell of a day.

Sylva began a sprint towards where the forest began to glow from the blasters, trying to concentrate and bring herself back from the edge of panic.

Sergeant Frost caught up to her. "Sir, what's the plan?"

"I think a Sith may be here!" she shouted so they all could hear. "We need to give the 501st as much back up as we can."

"I don't think it's a Sith," Pyre shouted back.

Sylva came to a dead stop near the edge of the foliage, turning on the trooper.

"Why do you say that?"

The soldier just shrugged, "It doesn't feel like Ventress did on Seline. And based on what that soldier just said..."

Sylva's mouth dropped but her response was cut off by a crash in the nearby jungle. The team leveled their blasters, waiting for the unknown enemy.

"We'll talk about this later," Sylva said pointedly at Pyre.

Staring into the brush, they waited, holding their breath and listening as the distinct sound of lightsabers also became apparent.

Without notice, General Krell fell behind them into the clearing, weapons readied. He had a smirk plastered to his large face that sent shudders through Sylva as she contemplated what it could mean.

"Ah, Miss Cotaru. The prodigy. How nice of you to come check in on me," His deep voice seemed to reverberate through the clearing. "I'm glad you're here. The 501st has betrayed me, I need you to get them under control."

Sylva blanched at his words. The 501st, traitors? Even if Krell was telling the truth, there's no way she could ever come to truly believe his statement.

Clones entered the clearing, surrounding the small group. General Krell took a defensive stance, glaring at the troops.

"General Sylva, Krell is a traitor!" Rex yelled as he approached at a full sprint.

Sylva, stricken, looked between him and Krell. "I've heard that already. What the fuck is going on here?!"

"All of these Clones are defective!" General Krell accused. "They need to be eliminated immediately! As part of the Jedi Council, I order you-"

"Sir, he had us kill our own men, making us think the Umbarans had stolen Clone trooper armor! He attacked us when we tried to confront him," Fives burst in.

Sylva was caught between them, unable to comprehend either side. Her men looked incredibly uncomfortable, also stuck between their brothers and a commander.

"General Krell, put away your lightsabers," Sylva began cautiously. "Let's talk this out. Men, put down your blasters."

Unease settled over the group as they complied, except for Krell.

"There's nothing to discuss, Cotaru. Exterminate CT-7567 and I'll overlook your insubordination." Krell remained with his lightsabers poised, stance ready for battle.

Sylva looked to the troops behind her, many of which she had fought with before. Fives, Jesse, Rex, they all stood around her expectantly, especially her team. Blaze looked ready to punch someone, as always. Frost just stood with a blank expression, waiting for Sylva to respond as the rest trained their gazes on Krell. The air thickened with tension as she scanned the troops.

Finally, Sylva turned back to General Krell, indignant look in her eyes. "His name is Captain Rex. And I don't know what's been going on here, but I certainly trust them more than you, Krell."

Not using his title had been the last slander Sylva mustered, hands hovering over her weapons at her belt. Krell felt wrong. The force around him filled with anger, selfishness, and tainted with the dark side. Pyre had been right. The carnage wasn't caused by a true Sith, but maybe someone who was about to become one.

General Krell began to chuckle. "You insignificant girl. I'll bring your head to Count Dooku as a gift."

Sylva braced herself, but couldn't hold out against the sheer force of Krell's power, throwing the Clones in a wide arc. She leapt at the four armed Master, lightsabers coming to life just before contact. Their power difference was obvious, but Sylva battled, hoping one of her Clones had enough sense to contact Obi-wan.

Dodging out of the way of Krell's twirling sabers, Sylva moved back towards the center of the clearing, giving the Clones a chance to move out of the way. If everything went according to what little plan she had, Sylva could minimize casualties. Krell pursued, aggressive movement hard to evade. Sylva exchanged some swings, unable to use her superior acrobatics for fear of being cut out of the air. She bent backwards, parallel with the ground to avoid an arcing swing by the Master. Unfortunately, the difference in fighting prowess became more and more apparent.

Blaster fire rang out, the soldiers not allowing Sylva to keep her concentration on her rapidly losing duel. She doubted they could get a clear shot now, only drawing the other Jedi's attention enough to offhandedly block the shots. All noise fell from Sylva's consciousness, leaving not even the sounds from their blades exchanging blows.

General Krell's style of fighting was hard for her block, the rapidly spinning blades near impossible to stop. A few more blows exchanged and Sylva saw Krell move to her left, slashing towards a Clone who had gotten too close to their duel. Seeing that the unfortunate man was Reefer, she dove at Krell's midsection, left arm swinging in a wide arc. She thought she had made a connection with the Master's body, but he batted her away like a doll.

Sylva tried to stand from where she had been thrown to the ground but her vision blacked out. A searing pain began erupting from her left shoulder and she glanced to see what was wrong. Why wasn't her arm responding to her?

Noise began to filter into her consciousness, and Sylva realized she was screaming as it steadily filled her ears. Where her left arm was, only a cauterized stump was left, sizzling and blackened.

Tears streamed down her face as Sylva absently watched Krell's body fall before her, hands raised as if to strike her down. Darkness began to creep into her vision as her soldiers rushed to her side, still on the ground.

Amid the chaos, the Jedi spotted her severed arm, lightsaber still held in its grip. Sylva nearly vomited at the sight. She went numb, the hands grabbing her not stopping Sylva from her descent into the darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

Blood. That was what made Sylva wake screaming. It covered her hands, tunic, face, it seemed to be everywhere.

These nightmares had become much too frequent. Sylva had barely gotten two hours of sleep a night.

Dogma had shot Krell in the back, dropping him before he could cause anymore damage. Pyre spent hours by the Jedi's side, trying to stop Sylva from bleeding out before she received proper medical attention.

After finally waking from the trauma inflicted on Umbara, Sylva found herself back on Coruscant in the Jedi temple infirmary, left arm gone, leaving a stump only five inches long. The medical staff had tried to outfit her with a robotic arm, but the Jedi had refused. She had only spoken to Obi-want, finally asking what 'nerra' meant. When he told her it meant 'brother', she nodded and slipped back into unresponsive behavior.

A week later, Sylva was back in her own room in the temple, sleep still managing to evade her for the most part. There was a knock on the door, Obi-wan entering the small abode. Since he had been the only one to elicit a response from her, the Council had been sending him to check on her periodically. He sat by Sylva on her bed, which she hadn't left since returning. His face was somber, unable to meet her gaze when she finally did look at him.

He cleared his throat. "I see you're doing as well as can be expected. Have you tried to eat recently?"

Sylva just sat, staring at the floor, unanswering. She kept her right hand in her lap, almost curling in on herself. Obi-wan noticed her hair wasn't in a tight ponytail like usual. It was the first time, besides in the infirmary, he had seen it down, running just below her shoulders.

Sighing, Obi-wan continued. "You scared the poor archive worker when you received the list of the dead. I think they have yet to patch the hole in their wall."

On her way to her room, Sylva had stopped by the archives, demanding a list of the soldiers who died on Umbara under Krell's command. They had been listed under three categories: Umbaran casualties, 'Mistaken Identity' casualties, and Krell's casualties.

Hardcase was at the bottom of the first list, number, rank, and cause of death the only noteworthy things reported. The second list had especially hurt. Seeing Waxer's name and number, Sylva had muttered a soft 'Nerra' before putting said hole in the archive wall. She would never forgive herself for not getting to the outpost sooner to prevent what Krell had done. Making the Clones unwittingly kill their own brothers, Sylva would never forget the dead master, silently cursing his name in her head.

Obi-wan's voice brought Sylva back to the present. "Master Shaak Ti says that you want to retire from the war. If that's true, your team is always welcome in the 212th and 501st. Anakin is waiting for your approval before issuing a formal invitation. The Council will be convening in a few hours. They requested your presence. I'd suggest you try and eat something before you go."

Obi-wan stood up, leaving the dip in the bed on Sylva's left. Before he could leave, she asked, barely heard, "What happened to Dogma?"

The Clone had saved her life and probably those of his brothers by killing the General.

"He's being Court Martialed," Obi-Wanna answered softly, moving through the doorway.

At this time of the day, the Clones would likely be in the mess hall, done with training for the day. She figured that checking on the team would be the best course of action, even if she didn't eat like Obi-wan had suggested.

She slinked around the halls, trying to be unnoticed as she navigated towards the mess hall. She found that her balance was off without her arm, slightly leaning towards one side. Making her way around the corner, she found the corridor with a long stretch of windows to the right. They overlooked where the Clones were taking their breaks, eating and having lively conversations. Sylva searched for the familiar faces, managing to spot the eight of them near the center of the room, facing Commander Cody and Captain Rex.

They had painted their armor, Sylva realized, in bright red stripes and designs. The crimson stood out amongst the mostly blue and white around them. Another reason they stood out, Blaze had stood up, seemingly shouting with Inferno, directing their anger at each other and the two higher ranked soldiers. The commotion was beginning to get noticed by surrounding personnel. Knowing the two soldier's tempers, Sylva figured a fight was soon to break out. A sudden urge filled her, and Sylva found herself walking towards the entrance to the mess hall, long strides carrying her faster than previously.

Shouts, presumably Frost trying to reign in the offending Clones, could be heard down the hall. Throwing open one of the double doors, Sylva stormed into the open, grey room, shouting, "Soldiers, at attention!" The entire room of troops rose at the command, standing rigidly. The only sound was that of the Jedi's boots thudding down the aisles.

Sylva stopped in front of her team and the two affronted officers, room falling to a deafening silence.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Sylva addressed no one in particular.

Rex was the first to speak up. "Master Skywalker and Master Kenobi ordered us to offer invitations to the squad. If their assignment was to be disbanded, they were to join our rankings."

"We aren't disbanded!" Inferno shouted, the burn scar on his face only deepening his frown lines. "We're not joining you."

"It's not your place to decide," Cody cut in. He pointedly looked at Sylva.

Put on the spot, Sylva looked around the room where the other Clones stood, still at attention but listening intently to the conversation.

"At ease," she barked, and the cafeteria returned to it's normal bustle, though conversations were much lower, trying to catch what they could from the center of the room.

Sylva sighed and looked back to her troops. It was the first time in almost two weeks she had seen them. Frost and Pyre looked at her worriedly, as if they could see the lack of sleep on her face, which they probably could. Blaze still looked about ready to punch someone, as always, and Inferno wasn't much better. Reefer had become totally focused on eating while Zephyr watched him with fascination. Killshot just sat looking bored, playing with his food as Gary tried to tell him a story about his last mission.

"Commander Cody, Captain Rex. I'm sorry to disappoint you both, but I'm afraid I can't let my team be split up. Maybe you should try to find some other recruits."

Cody laughed, "We're certainly not sad about this, at all. Good to see you up and about, General Sylva." With that, the two officers left the mess hall. Sylva watched them leave, then turned back to her own troops. Unsurprisingly, a few of them stared at where her sleeve became empty just below her shoulder.

Turning away, Sylva walked towards the door she had come in. "I'm gonna be late for the Council meeting. I hope you jokers are proud of yourselves." The whispers that rose in her wake ate at her confidence as she made her way out and towards the Council Room. From the hallway, she heard threats from her boys being slung at the other soldiers for talking about their commander. With a smile and shake of her head, Sylva couldn't wait to hear the ensuing report.

Finally stopping in front of the Council Room door, Sylva took a breath and opened the door, finding most of the Masters present, with the exception of Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, who was on an assignment.

Finding herself again at the center of the room's attention, Sylva stood a little straighter, mustering her strength.

"Miss Cotaru, I see you are healing," began Master Fisto, general warmth always present in his voice. "Have you come to give us a report on your condition?"

"You summoned me," Sylva began, confused.

"Ah, yes. I requested your presence," Master Windu replied, his stalwart face never leaving Sylva's direction. "Master Obi-wan informs me that you rejected the prosthetic arm and perhaps want to retire from your position as General. Is this true?"

Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Sylva faced the Council. "No, master. I wish to continue in the war efforts, now more than ever."

Obi-wan looked puzzled, stroking his beard as Sylva explained. "Master Krell's betrayal was...unfortunate. As was the loss of my arm. But now I have a clearer understanding. I want to continue to fight this war in the name of the Republic and the Jedi."

The Council sat quietly, introspective about Sylva's claims. Master Obi-wan spoke first. "We already decided, before your arrival, that even if you wanted to continue fighting, there'd need to be time for you to...adjust. We figured at least two months would be sufficient. The rush from Seline to Umbara definitely affected your mission adversely."

Sylva nodded, grateful for the time off and that they still considered her fit for battle.

"There is a condition the Council agreed upon," Obi-wan warned. "You will need to be outfitted with a prosthesis before any combat missions are a viable option." The Master grinned at the not inwardly groan Sylva made. With a nod of her head, Sylva accepted their conditions.

"Actually, I have a condition of my own," Sylva told the Council. A few members looked taken aback by the request, but they remained silent. "I want Dogma to be added to my squad."

Voices began to erupt around the room, causing Sylva to pause as Master Yoda tried to quiet them. "That Clone executed a Jedi Master," Mace reminded everyone quite firmly.

"Dogma saved my life," Sylva asserted, looking Master Windu in the eyes. "He's a hero. One I want on my team. Besides, his loyalty to the Republic is unshakable. An asset like that can be hard to find."

After a brief silence, Master Windu sighed. "Fine. Have...Dogma transferred."

"I hope you jokers are happy? What the hell was that? And why did we get summoned here?" Blaze complained. He held his red emblazoned helmet in his lap as he sat on the table. The rest of the team were scattered around the briefing room, not much small talk occurring among them. Just when Blaze was about to mouth off again, Sylva entered the room, followed by another Clone. His blue painted armor stood out against the rest of the room, helmet in hand at his side.

"Guys," Sylva addressed them. "This is Dogma, our newest addition."

He nodded curtly at the group but remained behind the Jedi. Inferno reacted before anyone else could. "Hey, Dogma. You done kissing your commander's ass? I doubt Sylva will be more lenient with you."

A blush spread across Dogma's cheeks, from embarrassment or anger, Sylva couldn't tell. It was also the look of shock that told her Dogma had never thought of talking to a Jedi on a first name basis. "Enough. He's part of the squad now, so treat him like one. I won't tolerate any harassment."

"Not sure the others will comply," Zephyr chimed in. "All they know is that he killed General Krell on Umbara and was getting Court Martialed. I bet they all figured he was dead by now."

"Then, he'll fit right in," Sylva quipped. "It's not like you haven't heard the same after some of our missions." The others grumbled but couldn't argue. "Now, back to business. As part of the Council's parameters, we are basically on leave for a few months. During that time, we will still be training and securing our regular routines." Sylva looked to see if anyone had any questions. No one did. "Otherwise, you are free to...do whatever.


	14. Chapter 14

_Acrid smoke made Sylva's eyes water, blocking her view of the surroundings. The black fog seemed to come from nowhere as she tried to breathe through it, coughing every so often. A hand abruptly grabbed Sylva's left arm, still intact, and pulled her through the thick pollution. Wiping her eyes on her sleeve, Sylva finally managed to realize that it was a Clone, leading her towards a thin veil of light._

 _She tried to shout at him, but her throat closed up, unable to speak, let alone breathe. Tripping over nothing, Sylva landed hard on the ground, losing the grip on her arm. When she sat up, Ventress stood in front of her. She had run the Clone through with one of her red lightsabers, his lifeless body falling to the ground before the Jedi. She tried to scream, but again, her throat remained closed. In a panic, Sylva tried to reach for her lightsabers, but they weren't at her belt._

 _A throaty laugh sounded behind her, and Sylva turned to see Master Krell, holding her missing sabers. He came closer with confident strides, smile menacing. Sylva went to scramble away from the two, but fell back to the ground. Her left arm had disappeared, blood now coating the ground at her side. Spotting the missing appendage a few feet away, Sylva gasped for air, tears falling own her cheeks. Shrieks of terror finally escaped the Jedi as she cried, unable to find help through the smoke._

 _"Stop fighting, Sylva," Ventress cooed. "It will be so much easier."_

 _"The Sith hold much more promise," Krell hissed._

 _"No, nononono NO!" Sylva cried. Her body began to shake violently._

 _"You can't escape it," Ventress exclaimed. "This is your destiny!"_

 _The smoke behind the Sith apprentice began to swirl as an image came through of Sylva. She only held her red lightsaber, eyes dark and angry. Clones fired at her and she cut them down mercilessly, eyes only focused on her target, Master Yoda. She stalked him through the growing pile of dead bodies at her feet. The small Jedi met her, green blade matching her red. They began to duel at the center of chaos, blasters firing all around them. Sylva struck Master Yoda down with a massive swing, holding him at the point of her blade. There was no remorse in her eyes as she beheaded her Master, continuing to carve up the Clones in her path. It didn't stop with Master Yoda. Obi-wan was next, stabbed in the back, then Plo Koon, then Kit Fisto, Jedi after Jedi falling before her feet._

 _Sylva thrashed in panic at the sight, screwing her eyes shut. She would never think of doing such a thing. It wasn't her, it couldn't be her. Strong hands held her down as she tried to escape, wailing her sorrow._

"-va. Sylva. SYLVA!"

When Obi-wan's concerned face came into view, Sylva realized she had been dreaming. There was no smoke, no Ventress or Krell, only Obi-wan in her small temple room. He clutched her shoulders as if her were trying to hold her together. She looked at her now robotic arm, limp by her side save for the clenched fist. A shiver ran through the Jedi's body, causing her to search for the blanket she had thrown off. The prosthetic syphoned her body heat, forcing her to constantly wear long sleeves, not that she was complaining.

"You were screaming," Obi-wan pulled Sylva's attention back. "Was it another nightmare?" His words came softly, grip lessening on her as he moved to sit on the bed next to her. "What was this one about?"

Sylva looked around the room dazedly until she could focus on Obi-wan's robes. Taking a deep breath, she sat up. "Krell and Ventress were...talking to me. They told me to join them."

Obi-wan looked perplexed, stroking his beard. "I can only assume they meant going to the dark side. We should speak to the Council about this. Was there anything else?"

Sylva shook her head, memories of the nightmare flashing through her mind. She had yet to tell anyone about the vision Ventress had shown her. "No, it's fine. I don't think the Council needs to hear. I'm just going to do some meditating."

The older Jedi raised an eyebrow in question but didn't push the topic further. Instead, he sat with Sylva as she wiped her face. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying this whole time. Shifting next to him, Sylva tentatively leaned against Obi-wan, shoulder to shoulder. Obi-wan said nothing, reserving himself to the silence that enveloped the room. Most of the other Jedi wouldn't actively ignore her but there was a rift he could sense. It seemed like Anakin, Master Yoda, Ashoka, and himself were the only other force users she spent a decent amount of time with, on or off the battlefield.

"Is Anakin still searching for Ashoka?" Sylva finally whispered.

"Yes," Obi-wan replied, a bit heartbroken. "It's been days. Anakin is getting more and more distraught."

"I wish I could help him," Sylva slumped forward, defeat edging her voice. "I can still barely move my arm. If I wasn't in such a sorry state, I would help him scour Felucia." She pointedly looked at the robotic appendage on her left, staring holes through it as if it would make it come to life.

Obi-wan sighed and answered, "Of course you would. I've been trying my best, but it won't be enough for Anakin until she's found."

Sylva nodded her head knowingly. Anakin may have been stubborn, but he cared for Ashoka as if she were his sister. There wouldn't be a planet in the galaxy that wouldn't know she was gone. Sylva didn't doubt that if it came to it, Anakin would have the Separatist fleet looking for her as well. The image made Sylva smile to herself, only the second time since she had come back from Umbara. Obi-wan noticed, and wrapped an arm around her other shoulder, the smooth metal cool under his fingers. Sylva stiffened, but steadily relaxed into his grip. The cold metal was beginning to steal too much of her body heat and Obi-wan seemed unnaturally warm.

"You know Sylva, we've been on plenty of missions together, but I don't know that much about you."

Sylva could sense that Obi-wan wasn't trying to pry, he truly wanted to know more about her, and maybe it would take her mind off the nightmares. Sylva began to melt into Obi-wan's warmth, grateful for his support as she began.

"Well, Master Sifo-Dyas is the one who found me, living as a servant to a wealthy family on Bespin."

"A servant? You must've been very young. Did you work alongside your parents?"

"No, I never knew them." At Obi-wan's guilt-ridden look, Sylva hurried to explain. "No, it's fine! The family took me in and cared for me, in return for my service, mostly looking after their youngest daughter. "

Obi-wan nodded, urging her to continue.

"Master Yoda also took a liking to me, I guess, once we reached Coruscant. He could sense the Dark side's influence within me, but they jointly decided to train me. So, for six months, I tried mastering everything I could. Master Qui-gon also helped, teaching me about the Living Force and Form IV."

Obi-wan had noticed how she relied on the fourth form during most of her battles. Ataru could be useful against droids and force users, especially with her dual lightsabers. The only thing Obi-wan worried about was the fact that close quarters combat was a very real possibility, Form IV wouldn't help her there.

"Then the Masters decided I was too dangerous to keep at the temple," Sylva's voice had dropped in volume and Obi-wan could feel her anguish. "They said I would lead younglings into the darkness, even if I hadn't gone into it myself. They decided that somewhere remote would be best. Felucia was an obvious answer. Sifo-Dyas gave me the house that you and Anakin found me in. He made sure I got everything I needed, even if he couldn't visit often." She began to stare at the far wall, not directly focusing on anything in particular. "He was supposed to get me. Ten years ago, he was assigned to stop a conflict on Felucia. He promised I would go back with him, but he never made it."

Tremors passed through the young Jedi's body, but she willed herself not to cry. Obi-wan just pulled her tighter to himself, trying to hold her together.

"His friend killed him. Count Dooku was his friend. I wanted to go after him, but Master Yoda forbade me and I had no way of getting off the planet, let alone track him. I waited on that damn planet for twenty years, hoping that someone would finally take me home, to Coruscant, with others like me. But I realized, there's no one like me." Sylva cut off, sitting in Obi-wan's grasp solemnly.

"But that's a good thing," Obi-wan pressed. "I wouldn't want there to be anyone else like you. Between you and Anakin, I have a hard enough time staying sane." Sylva chuckled, head lifting a bit. "Besides, I don't think there's anyone else in the universe who could live up to your legacy."

"What do you mean by that?" Sylva asked, confused.

"I don't think I've ever read so many reports about unruly soldiers, each one more creative than the last. Did you know, Zephyr took a jet pack for a joy ride and ended up crashing into the roof of the Opera House?"

Sylva laughed, "Of course I know. They are my unruly soldiers. I have them group complaints by name. Zephyr and Reefer seem to be the most troublesome but Blaze and Inferno are quick to start a fight." Sylva couldn't stop the laughter. Some of the reports were so absurd, she didn't think they were real.

Obi-wan was laughing too, sharing in the amusing turn. Then his tone grew more serious. "You know, they are extremely loyal to you." Sylva's giggles died down, taking in what the older Jedi was saying. "A lot of the fights started are to protect their commander's honor. They have only been on a few missions with you as their leader, but even they see how good you work together. Just ask anyone who happened to get in the way of Blaze's fist. Even Dogma got in trouble the other night."

"What? I didn't hear about that," Sylva sat up, interested in the story.

"Yeah, Blaze heard some guys from another sector talking bad about you. Dogma stopped him when they were confronted but one of the others guys said something and Dogma turned around and socked him. Knocked the poor fellow out cold."

Sylva hadn't realized that her men had been protecting her, even off the battlefield. Dogma's outburst surprised her the most. She figured he'd be in with Frost and Killshot, never a single complaint. Now, she realized, she needed to talk to them. Hell, they were the ones that prompted her to stay as part of the war effort. If anything, she needed to repay them for inadvertently giving her this useless metal arm.

"Thank you, Obi-wan. I'm going to speak with my men." He nodded and they both stood from the bed.

"First, though, you should do something with this," he said, gesturing to her unkempt hair. Quickly pulling it back, Sylva managed to secure it with one hand, though strands fell around her face. Obi-wan shrugged simultaneously with her and, muttering a 'good enough', they exited the small room.

Making her way down the familiar halls, Sylva spotted the Commander in charge of training and retention. Once explaining the situation, she managed to secure a private room and had them send in her troops, one at a time. First up was Killshot.

It had taken them some time to get the half-deaf man's attention. Seeing Sylva as he walked into the low-lit room, he visibly relaxed as he sat down in the chair across from her, helmet in hand. "Killshot, how are you doing?" Sylva internally cringed at her formal greeting. The soldier didn't seem put off by it. His newly painted armor bore a stripe over his right eye and crosshairs painted on the shoulders. His right gauntlet was painted, as was the part of his helmet covering his left ear, the one that had gone deaf. It was a good reminder, Sylva thought to herself.

"I'm fine, General." Killshot was the only one to refuse to call her by her first name, usually referring to her as 'General'. He always got right to the point.

"Good. I'm just checking in on my squad. After getting a lot of reports recently, I think we may need to talk, individually," Sylva explained.

Killshot nodded in understanding, but remained quiet, intently listening to the Jedi. His stoic face reminded her of Mace Windu, without the authority.

"Well, since I don't have any complaints about you specifically, is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

When all he did was shake his head, Sylva just quirked an eyebrow, but dismissed him, having him send in the next soldier. As she waited, Sylva wondered how he had gotten along with his last assignment. His silence, broken only by sarcastic remarks, was a bit disconcerting to other soldiers. The Jedi shrugged it off as another Clone walked into the room.

Zephyr was next and happily took a seat. She saw him spot her prosthetic but quickly averted his gaze. Sylva looked at her small stack of reports and sighed. "Zephyr, what...I can't fathom how you manage to do half this stuff but I need you to tone it down a bit. I realize we are on leave for awhile, but you're a soldier."

The pilot just smiled at her. "Sorry, General. I just get these great ideas and usually don't have the self-restraint to stop myself." Sylva noticed he had painted a diagonal stripe on his helmet that crossed over his right, blue eye. Much like Killshot, Zephyr colored his left gauntlet, proudly purporting his left-handedness. A single horizontal line crossed his chest.

Sylva saw the gleam in his one blue eye and knew instantly that it would be near impossible to rein him in without some kind of outlet. "Well, I'll talk to the mechanic division, see if you can help them out while you're on down time. Sound good?" With a vigorous nod, Sylva excused him and called in the next one. Zephyr's intentional aversion to her new arm made her uncomfortable, but Sylva decided it was best to let it be for the moment.

Looking displeased as ever, Inferno walked in. He had two strips of crimson running on the top of his helmet and a spot on the right cheek, over where his burn scars were. Similar markings ran down his chest and curled around his knees. He sat abruptly in the chair and waited for Sylva to speak.

"Well, Inferno, I have a number of complaints here concerning your temper. But, we're not going to talk about those." Inferno lifted an eyebrow but refused to speak. Sylva almost snicker at his response but kept her face carefully neutral. "I see you're recovering well after Seline."

The exasperated noise that escaped his mouth made Sylva smirk just the slightest. "I don't go down that easy."

"I see that. Can you tell me why you were so...insistent about going to Umbara with us? That wound should've put you in the Infirmary for two weeks, at least. We left after four days."

Inferno didn't speak for a minute, but Sylva relaxed, allowing him to collect his thoughts. She half expected him not to answer. "I didn't want my brothers to leave me behind. If...if they hadn't made it back, I would've blamed myself for not being there."

A pain throbbed in her chest as Sylva comprehended what Inferno had said. The Jedi smiled, trying to comfort her soldier. "I know what that feels like. I thought about the Council sending you guys out with another legion. It about drove me insane, wondering if you were alright." Sylva spoke mostly to herself now. "Kind of stupid, I know, but I couldn't help it. It must be what you were feeling." The report she had in her hand included numerous threats from the hothead, some of them actually creative. "I need you to lay off the fist fights, okay? If you get in trouble, which I'm surprised you haven't so far, you won't be able to watch over your brothers." Inferno nodded quietly. Sylva dismissed him without another word.

The recent admission had her head swirling. Sylva figured that he just itched for battle, but never had she expected such a protective streak from Inferno.

The Clone she had already issued a stern talking to arrived next, Pyre. His design consisted of a stripe that ran down each of the arms and legs, one down the center of his chest which branched off into three. Sylva invited him to sit, watching the scar on his left upper lip move when he smiled.

"Pyre, there's not many reports here with your name specifically on them, though you do seem to get dragged into shenanigans by Zephyr and Gary. Care to explain?"

He just shrugged, "I just go with it, I guess."

It wasn't the best answer for a soldier and Sylva made that perfectly clear with an unimpressed face.

"Mm hm. How about what you said on Umbara? That it didn't feel like Ventress?"

Pyre blanched, put on the sport by his commander. "I-I don't know. Ventress just had a certain feeling around her, like I was being crushed by a dominating presence. Master Krell didn't feel like that. I mean, I only have experience with Ventress and Count Dooku, but they both were...commanding presences."

Shocked, Sylva looked at his file. She couldn't believe she had overlooked him this much. "Your previous squadron was wiped out by Count Dooku." The realization hit her, only broken by Pyre scoffing at her.

"Yeah, I know my own history."

Sylva went over the possibility that Pyre could be force sensitive, but this was hardly conclusive. She wondered what exactly had happened to them on Seline, after Ventress knocked her unconscious. Putting the thought from her mind, Sylva had Pyre leave to bring in Blaze next. Taking the brief moment to breathe, the Jedi's mind went back to Seline. Upon hearing footsteps down the hall, she schooled her features back into a neutral look.

The trooper had crimson flames painted around his torso, licking up at his chest plate, on his shoulders and helmet. The man was only one of two in her squadron that had facial hair, but trimmed his hair until he was nearly bald.

"I like the paint job," Sylva began, smirking. Blaze just snorted, so she continued, voice becoming stern. "I'm getting way too many reports of fights from you and Inferno. I realize why these altercations keep happening, but nonetheless, they need to stop. I'm surprised you're not being Court Martialed right now." She looked for a response. Receiving none, she kept going. "Rein in your temper, Blaze. It's what will keep you and your brothers alive on the battlefield. Don't let me down." Sylva nodded to release Blaze. On his way out, she gave him a quiet 'thank you', to which he didn't reply. Sylva was silently grateful for his lack of emotions.

The minutes dragged on as the troop took their time getting to the private room. Next was a red covered Reefer. His helmet looked similar to Blaze's, also sharing the facial hair look. It wasn't too uncommon, considering the two were best friends and came from the same platoon before getting grouped into Sylva's mix-matched group. Flaming bands wrapped around his chest, shoulders and legs, mischievous glint always ever-present in his brown eyes.

"Hey, General Sylva. What's all this about?"

Sylva glanced to the pile of reports she had been reading all day, then back to the soldier. "Reefer, I don't even know what to say to you. Some of these are genius, others just plainly insane." He grinned at the Jedi, easily taking a compliment where there arguably wasn't one. "I'm actually going to pair you with Sergeant Frost for tactics from now on." It seemed like the only good use for his skills, considering anything else would be destructive, as indicated by the files. Seeing the surprised look on his face, it made Sylva's day.

Reefer nodded, then stood up. "Well, that was fast." A wide smile appeared on his face and the Jedi knew immediately that this would be either the best or worst course of action. Exiting the room, he shouted for Gary down the hallway. Said Clone came through the door, unhurriedly. His designs were much simpler than the rest, paint covering his shoulders, elbows, knees, and gauntlets. Red also outlined the visor on his helmet, sitting his lap.

"You need to stop going along with Reefer, Gary. He's going to blow something up and you may be attached to it." Sylva deadpanned, getting tired of the reports. Gary just chuckled. Another short talk and Sylva was again alone, awaiting one of the last troopers. She had decidedly left out Sergeant Frost, considering the others would tell him about their interviews anyway. Also, there were no reports with his name on them, so there wasn't really any need.

Dogma entered the small room, moving across from Sylva in an efficient manner. He had kept the blue on his armor, which the Jedi had encouraged, but now the designs were outlined by ruby lines.

"I never expected to get a report about you, Dogma,"Sylva mentioned, truthfully. The offending Clone winced at the accusation. "It seemed so out of character for you, but at the same time, I would expect nothing less. Could you tell me exactly what it was they said that made you knock him out with a single punch?"

Dogma's fist and jaw clenched, remembering the night they had spent at the bar. _A couple of guys had walked in, immediately obvious that they were a rowdy bunch. Hearing Sylva's name, the four guys had made their way towards the Clones' table. Dogma could feel the music thrumming through his body, saw the flashing lights pass by his eyes. Blaze was instantly irritated by them, asking them to 'kindly fuck off'. Dogma had held the man back, fearing another fight would end in Blaze getting punished. That was when the biggest of the group made the offending remark. "That bitch is better off dead. She's a shit Jedi if she only ever gets beaten. I'd do it myself, for free." The rest of his words faded out as Dogma turned on him and, without thinking, decked the asshole straight in the face._

Sylva's chest clenched. Reading the report was one thing, but hearing Dogma recall how he had defended her, it made her proud to be his commander. She wished she had seen him when General Krell had fallen. The only thing nagging at her conscience was 'did I actually deserve it?'.

The Jedi stood, Dogma following close after. Staring her straight in the eyes, the soldier began to apologize for his behavior, the look on her face almost severe, but was abruptly cut off by Sylva pulling him into an embrace. "Thank you, Dogma," she whispered. Before he could protest, Sylva was making her way out of the room, stack of reports already gathered in her arms.

Shell-shocked, it took Dogma a solid ten minutes before he exited the room and returned to the training facility where the rest of the team waited. He didn't understand. What was she thanking him for? Shouldn't he be punished for his actions?

"Hey, Dogma. What took you so long?" Gary asked before seeing his lost face. "You alright?"

"Yeah," he answered belatedly.


	15. Chapter 15

Against their better judgement, the team had allowed Reefer to drag them back to the bar that night. Dogma had insisted on staying at the barracks, but Gary had pulled him by the wrists the entire way, only Frost managed to escape being pulled into their antics. It was a bar that most Clones frequented, only the red painted designs stood out in the low-lit atmosphere. A few civilian patrons recognized them from a few nights before, careful to give the group a wide distance.

Sitting at the same table from before, the Clones allowed themselves to relax a little. Except for Dogma, who held constant vigilance for the four men from before. They all had a drink in hand by the time Zephyr noticed his discomfort.

"Dogma, lighten up! They aren't here!" he shouted over the thrum of the music. "Besides, if they do show up, you can drop 'em in one punch!" The pilot cackled, downing more of his drink. Dogma just smiled a bit, sinking back into his seat beside his brothers.

"What did General Sylva say to you, in those personal meetings?" Dogma said, trying to ignore the knot forming in his stomach.

Zephyr pulled his usual grin. "Oh, you know. Stop getting into trouble. Act like a soldier. That kind of stuff."

Dogma nodded, thinking back to what the Jedi had said to him, which wasn't much. It took the Clone awhile before he realized that Zephyr had been trying to talk to him.

"Why? What did she tell you?"

"Same," Dogma answered shortly, looking around at his brothers as the pit in his stomach worsened.

Pyre was enjoying the music beside the still laughing Zephyr, while Blaze and Inferno talked about who-knew-what over the loud bass of the bar. Killshot nursed his drink, eyes fixed on a wall opposite them, obviously having the time of his life. Gary was trying to get the attention of a pretty lady across the bar and Reefer... Reefer was lost in his thoughts.

"Hey," Dogma called, trying to get his brother's attention. "What's going on?"

Reefer looked at him a moment before asking, "Do you ever think the general is...lonely?"

"What kind of question is that?" Pyre cut in, barely heard over the loud bass. "She's a Jedi. They don't get lonely, do they?"

"I don't know," Reefer said, sheepishly. "I was just thinking, the general uses a red lightsaber. She's human...and different from the others. Maybe..."

"Maybe that's why they gave her a bunch of shit soldiers," Inferno said, interested in the conversation now. By this point, the whole table was listening intently. At the look Zephyr gave him, Inferno defended himself, "You know it's true. All of us are leftovers from failed missions, probably bent for janitorial duty once Sylva retires, or worse."

The Clones had grown quiet in the thrumming atmosphere, silently looking at each other. Reefer retreated back into his thoughts for a few moments.

"Is General Cotaru a capable leader?" Dogma couldn't help but ask. It had been pressing at the back of his mind for so long.

"If she lets Zephyr fly again," Pyre chuckled, "I'm gonna say 'no'." Zephyr cackled, almost choking on his drink. Drifting back into silence, the group realized that Reefer had perked up, eyes no longer glazed over in thought.

"I don't know about you guys," he finally said, "but I like General Cotaru." The entire table was unanimously in agreement, even a disgruntled looking Blaze. A silent pact seemed to circuit around the table as they all realized what this would mean. They would have to become a permanent squadron, one that wouldn't get broken up as soon as their commanding Jedi was put on the sidelines. To do that, they'd need the Council's acceptance as an effective team, not a random assembly of 'leftovers' as Inferno had put it. Hopefully then, they would see what Sylva already had, capable soldiers who were bred for the battlefield, but also men who deserved a life once the war was over.

Dogma closed his eyes, trying to drown out the music through his thoughts. Sylva's behavior during the individual meetings did seem weird. He still couldn't wrap his head around why she had interrupted his Court Martialing, only to tell him he would be working with her and her team. She had marched into the room, taking one look at Dogma, and turned on the judge, demanding he be released by direct order of the Council, to be placed under her command. Her voice had taken an authoritative tone, as though any denial was obvious heresy. His shackles had been immediately removed and Dogma couldn't help but follow the Jedi. Then she managed to baffle him again by thanking him for knocking out a civilian.

The music started to force its way back into his senses as Dogma opened his eyes again, scanning the large, round table. He looked at his brothers, all...six of them? Reefer had disappeared. Sitting back up straight, Dogma scanned the small crowd, a mix of soldiers and civilians. Reefer's brilliant red marks were out of his field of vision and he began tensing.

"Hey, anyone know where Reefer went?" he shouted. Zephyr looked to Pyre, then simultaneously, they shook their heads. Feeling Dogma's discomfort, the other two also began scanning the crowd.

The lost Clone's drink had been left on the table, still full. He wouldn't be off getting another drink from the bar, and he wasn't the type to chase after a woman. At least, Dogma thought so as he searched the crowd. Then, his stomach dropped. Dogma recognized four faces out of the crowd, beginning to work their way across the bar.

"Aw, shit," Dogma muttered, elbowing Zephyr and nodding in the direction of the oncoming report most likely about to happen. He immediately identified the offending posse and passed word around the table. "We need to find Reefer, now!"

Before they could leave to search for their brother, the four men had closed in on the table, sporting a couple friends. Apparently they had evened the odds, their now seven to the Clone's eight, if Reefer decided to show up. Dogma didn't see them as even, though. One group crawled around bars, looking for fights. The other were specially trained soldiers serving under a Jedi. As far as he could tell, Dogma counted seven to an army.

The leader sported a crooked nose and black eye, gifts from Dogma. He sneered at the Clones on the approach, pulling himself up to his full height, which wasn't much taller than Ashoka. The men he brought with him, though, were all a few inches taller than the soldiers and bulkier.

"Didn't you hear me last time," Blaze growled as they reached the table. "I said, 'Kindly fuck off'. Though the 'kindly' part has worn off."

The short leader chuckled, crossing his arms and looking around at his goons. "I just wanted to pay you back," His gravely voice barely registered over the music. Looking directly at Dogma, the guy motion at his men.

Dogma stood up, ready for a fight, closely followed by Zephyr at his left and Blaze from across the table.

Without warning, a loud explosion sounded outside the bar. A faint rocking swept through the building as people tensed. The two factions looked at each other, then at their own. Finally, the agitated group left the bar to check out the sound.

Dogma sighed in relief, able to narrowly escape trouble and the ensuing report. The bar was beginning to evacuate, a dim glow coming from outside the main entrance. Through the sea of drunken people, the team spotted Reefer making his way towards them.

"Hey, guys. We need to go," the urgency in his voice pushing Dogma's discomfort. "Let's use the back door."

The rest of the group that wasn't standing joined their comrades, walking among the mostly empty tables towards the rear entrance. The music had stopped playing, the eerie quiet of the once lively place beginning to settle.

At Reefer's suspicious looks toward the front of the bar, Dogma immediately stopped any forward progress, making the group of crimson clones pause.

"Alright. What did you do, Reefer?"

His brother's fidgeting only worsened. "Can we get out of the bar before we talk about this?"

Blaze's eyes widened in shock. "What was that explosion outside? Reefer, what the hell did you do?!"

"I agree with Reefer. Let's discuss this at the barracks," Inferno urged, trying to move the group towards the back.

Pyre turned on the Clone, grabbing his arm. "Did you help him with whatever that was?"

"No," Inferno snapped, pulling his arm away from Pyre's grasp. "I don't even know what he did, but it'd be a good idea to get out of here, before we get into any deeper shit."

Gary stepped between the two, trying to prevent any conflict. "Guys, we need to get out of here before the police or Jedi show up. If Reefer did do...something, then it would be a good idea to be in the barracks as soon as possible."

With a few assorted grunts of agreement, the men started a fast pace out the back door, into a darkened alleyway. Moving towards the street, they could spot a dim light, flickering into sight. Rounding the corner, Zephyr was the first to comment.

"Woah. Someone's speeder got blown up! How did that-"

"No time!" Reefer ran into the alley, stopping only when he knocked into a familiar Jedi. The other clones quickly caught up, helping the two men to their feet.

"General Kenobi," Dogma greeted as the bearded man wiped the dust from his trousers. A bit uneasy, the group looked back and forth between their brother and the jedi. "What brings you here at this time of night?"

"You mean, besides the flaming speeder outside a bar that you lot frequent?" He gave them a pointed look, not allowing any room for excuses. "Sergeant Frost informed me that you may be causing trouble here, despite Sylva's...chat with all of you. I didn't want to disturb her so I came to check on you myself."

The flames burned brightly behind the Jedi, giving off a black smoke that rose into the night air. A few civilians milled about, including the few who were so keen to fight earlier. They weren't so interested in the clones any longer.

The men lined up, single file, back at the base, facing Generals Kenobi, Skywalker, and Windu, along with Ashoka. Sergeant Frost also stood alongside his men, awaiting his punishment with the rest. None of the Jedi spoke, seeming content to wait. The clones weren't sure why until the doors slid open to reveal Sylva, hair pulled back messily and dark circles ever present under her eyes. She didn't speak either, just made her way to the center of the room, looking over her soldiers.

Pyre watched her slow gait into the room, worried about how much darker the eye circles had become since the last time he had seen her. The smile she wore most of the time had all but vanished since they had come back from Umbara. Guilt began to creep through the soldier. _What if this was their fault?_

Sylva let out a breath, before beginning. "Going back to the bar after yesterday's events was stupid, as was smuggling grenades out of the armory. Blowing up a civilian speeder was reckless! Somebody could've been injured!"

The Jedi's tired, but still luminescent blue eyes bore into her soldiers, expecting an answer. No one dared speak, instead focusing on a fixed point. Pyre picked Anakin's lightsaber. Inferno gazed at Sylva's new metal arm. Reefer, the wall behind Master Obi-wan's head.

"This is grounds for a Court Martial," Obi-wan pointed out, looking to Sylva. "When the Council hears of this, they will order decommissions."

"That's why no one outside this room will report this to the Council," she replied, voice low and cool. Sylva looked every one of her men in the eyes, giving them an intense stare. "The Council isn't going to hear about it. I will _personally_ see to their punishment. In the meantime, let's go back to bed, alright?"

Sylva turned to her fellow Jedi, who uneasily nodded. Ashoka, in particular, was apprehensive. "But there were civilians involved. Should we really be hiding this from the Council?"

"Ashoka," Sylva replied, exhaustion becoming evident in her voice, "I don't need the Council to tell me how to lead my men. Besides," A spark lit in her eyes, smirk playing at the corner of the Jedi's lips, "nothing they could do is worse than forcing them to train with me."


End file.
